The American Experience in Southeast Asia, 1946-1975

Beginning today, the Office of the Historian is hosting a 2-day historical conference about The American Experience in Southeast Asia, 1946-1975. The program is available for viewing. A blog post with background details of the conference and corresponding Foreign Relations of the United States information is on the Department of State's blog, DipNote.

To learn more about our relations with Southeast Asia, consult the Foreign Relations of the United States (FRUS). Our print collection is located in Government Documents. Free electronic access is available from the Office of the Historian's website and from the University of Wisconsin Digital Collections. As well, FRUS is a part of HeinOnline (for the Samford community). 

Small Business Jobs and Credit Act of 2010

The Small Business Jobs and Credit Act of 2010 was signed into law this past Monday.

FREE - Federal Resources for Educational Excellence

Are you searching for a way to spark your child's excitement about a subject? Do you need a better analogy for explaining a concept? Are you currently homeschooling and need all of the free credible resources available? FREE - Federal Resources for Educational Excellence is a compilation of federally supported teaching and learning sites. FREE offers an RSS feed along with a Twitter feed to make staying up to date easy.

Health Insurance and Healthcare Update

It's been 6 months since the Affordable Care Act was passed:

• Fact Sheet: The Six Month Anniversary of the Affordable Care Act (White House press release)
• www.WhiteHouse.gov/HealthReform

The CDC has released early data from a national health survey, Health Insurance Coverage: Early Release of Estimates From the National Health Interview Survey, January-March 2010.

 

Random Samplings

Random Samplings is the new blog by the Census Bureau. From the about section:

Experts from around the Census Bureau will use Random Samplings to describe the objectives of their work and explain census and survey results. We hope this blog will increase awareness and use of the valuable data collected by the Census Bureau, and make this data more accessible to all users.

Thus far, the postings have covered the subjects of poverty, health insurance & the American Dream.

Alabama Energy Rebate Funds Still Available

The State of Alabama Energy Rebate program is active again since many residents did not claim their rebate.

Constitution Day and Citizenship Day

Today, September 17, is Constitution Day and Citizenship Day. How are you celebrating?

• Constitution Day trivia quiz (US Mint) 
• Constitution Day and Citizenship Day (Library of Congress)
• Teaching with Documents: Observing Constitution Day (National Archives)
• Presidential Proclamation - Constitution Day, Citizenship Day, Constitution Week (White House)
• Commemorating Constitution Day and Citizenship Day (Department of Education)

Federal Benefits for Veterans, Dependents and Survivors 2010 Edition

The 2010 Federal Benefits for Veterans, Dependents and Survivors is on the Department of Veterans Affairs. It's available in both HTML and PDF in English along with a version in Spanish. Did you know that these benefits are legislated in Title 38 of the United States Code?

Energy Empowers

Read clean energy stories about our nation from the Department of Energy's blog, Energy Empowers. Do you have a clean energy story? Consider sharing your story.

Borrowers at For-Profit Schools Represent Large and Growing Share of Loan Defaults

The main title is Student Loan Default Rates Increase. From the press release:

U.S. Secretary of Education Arne Duncan today announced that the FY 2008 national cohort default rate is 7.0 percent, up from the FY 2007 rate of 6.7 percent. The default rates increased from 5.9 to 6 percent for public institutions, from 3.7 to 4 percent for private institutions, and from 11 to 11.6 percent for for-profit schools.

If you need assistance repaying your student loan, contact either http://www.federalstudentaid.ed.gov/ or your loan holder. 

Fruits & Vegetables

Yes, it's true. You'll not only be able to manage your weight, but eating a lot of fruits and vegetables daily will lower the risk those leading causes of death. The keyword is daily. Not yearly or even weekly.

State-Specific Trends in Fruit and Vegetable Consumption Among Adults --- United States, 2000--2009

September 11, 2001

Tomorrow, we remember 9-11.

Memorials and Commemorations for September 11, 2001

The Beige Book

The September 2010 issue of the Beige Book has been released by the Federal Reserve Board. What is the Beige Book?

Commonly known as the Beige Book, this report is published eight times per year. Each Federal Reserve Bank gathers anecdotal information on current economic conditions in its District through reports from Bank and Branch directors and interviews with key business contacts, economists, market experts, and other sources. The Beige Book summarizes this information by District and sector. An overall summary of the twelve district reports is prepared by a designated Federal Reserve Bank on a rotating basis.  (source:Summary of Commentary on Current Economic Conditions http://www.federalreserve.gov/fomc/beigebook/2010/)

A Variety of Resources

Today, I'm sharing a variety of resources with you.

Challenge.gov is a place where the public and government can solve problems together. And possibly earn some money.


mySkillsmyFuture is the new career website from the Department of Labor. The site will match your skills to a career. I noticed there are lots of openings for librarians in the US. 


It's never too early to plan for the summer. Need an internship? Consider the Department of State's internship program. 


Are you an organic farmer? Do you certify organic operations? The USDA has published an organic program handbook. 


Alabama is one of 6 states that will receive funding to support education jobs. As a matter of fact, our state will receive $149.5 million.

Wolves, Elk & Aspen Trees

A news release from the USGS indicates that wolves might not be saving Aspen Trees in Yellowstone National Park from Elk after all.

The State of the American Worker

THE EMPLOYMENT SITUATION -- AUGUST 2010

Documents of the Month: Hurricane Katrina, 5 Years Later

This month, we'll take a look at our Katrina documents.

•  Historic Preservation Response Methodology: Based on the Hurricane Katrina Model
• Hurricane Katrina: Five Years of Remembering & Rebuilding (White House)
• Rebuilding Lives Revitalizing Communities (FEMA)
• Hurricanes Katrina and Rita: 5 Years Later (FEMA)
• Hurricane Katrina: A NASA Satellite Video Retrospective (NASA)
• Hurricane Katrina...A Look Back 5 Years Later (NWS - New Orleans/Baton Rouge)
• Hurricane Katrina - Most Destructive Hurricane Ever to Strike the U.S. (NOAA)
• A Performance Review of FEMA's Disaster Management Activities in REsponse to Hurricane Katrina
• The Federal Response to Hurricane Katrina: Lessons Learned
• A Failure of Initiative
• Declarations of National Emergency in Response to Hurricane Katrina
• Hurricane Katrina: A Nation Still Unprepared

Don't Let the Bed Bugs Bite

Did you ever think that bed bugs would actually be a concern? I've pulled together some bed bug resources for you:

Joint Statement on Bed Bug Control in the United States from the U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) and the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (EPA)

Bed Bugs (EPA)

Top Ten Bed Bugs Tips (EPA)

Labor Day 2010

Labor Day is right around the corner. Have you made your plans yet? Last minute escape to the gulf coast? Relaxing at home? Either way, learn more about how we labor in the United States before you begin your weekend.