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January 2008 Archives

January 4, 2008

Selections from the Librarian's Internet Index (Week of 1/3/2008)

Digital Footprints: Online Identity Management and Search in the Age of Transparency
URL: http://www.pewinternet.org/PPF/r/229/report_display.asp
  This December 2007 report considers whether and how often people search for information about themselves online and whether they have taken steps to limit that information. Also discusses social networking and online profiles and searching for information about others online. Includes full text of the report and the questionnaire used to generate the report. From the Pew Internet & American Life Project.

How Do Caucuses Work?
URL: http://people.howstuffworks.com/question721.htm
  This essay explains how caucuses work, and outlines the differences between presidential primaries and caucuses, which are both “a means for each political party to let voters nationwide select their party’s presidential nominee.” The Iowa caucus (the first of the presidential election year) is used as an example. Includes links to further information about the U.S. presidential election system. From HowStuffWorks.

Iowa Caucus 2008
URL: http://www.iowacaucus.org/
  Official website for the Iowa Caucus, in which political party members gather in January to make policy decisions and to select candidates, and which is the earliest step in the electoral process for U.S. presidential candidates. Provides background about the caucus (such as how the caucuses began, how they work, and how Iowa gained its first-in-the-nation status) and links to candidate websites. Also includes links to facts about Iowa.

Facts for Features Special Edition: 2007 Economic Census
URL: http://www.census.gov/Press-Release/www/releases/archives/facts_for_features_special_editions/011092.html
  Facts and data related to the Economic Census, which takes place every five years in years ending in 2 and 7 and “measures the nation’s economic activity, providing key source data for the gross domestic product (GDP) and other indicators of economic performance. Includes statistics about the census (mailed in December 2007 to businesses), and about driving, gas stations, eating and drinking, shopping, utilities, entertainment, sports, and personal business. From the U.S. Census Bureau.

Pakistan’s Political Crisis
URL: http://news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/in_depth/south_asia/2007/pakistan/
  Collection of features, views, and analysis about the political situation in Pakistan, including General Musharraf’s declaration of emergency rule in November 2007 and the December 2007 assassination of Benazir Bhutto. Includes a timeline about Pakistani politics back to 1988 when Benazir Bhutto was sworn in as prime minister, background about individuals involved (such as Musharraf, Bhutto, and former prime minister Nawaz Sarif), the militant threat, and the diplomatic options. From the British Broadcasting Corporation (BBC).

The Soldier’s Heart
URL: http://www.pbs.org/wgbh/pages/frontline/shows/heart/
  Companion website to a 2005 PBS Frontline program that “explores the psychological cost of war and investigates whether the military is doing enough to help the many combat veterans coming home with emotional problems.” Features video of the full program and additional stories, interviews, readings, and expert options about post-traumatic stress disorder (PTSD) in soldiers. Includes 2007 updates on some of the people featured in the program, and a link to a related Frontline report.

Copyright 2007 by Librarians’ Internet Index, LII. - http://www.lii.org/

January 9, 2008

What's New @ ICPSR

New Data Files:

4665 ABC News 9/11 Anniversary Poll, September 2006
http://www.icpsr.umich.edu/cocoon/ICPSR/STUDY/04665.xml

21120 Japan 2000 National Survey on Family and Economic Conditions (NSFEC)
http://www.icpsr.umich.edu/cocoon/ICPSR/STUDY/21120.xml

20302 Transatlantic Trends Survey, 2006
http://www.icpsr.umich.edu/cocoon/ICPSR/STUDY/20302.xml

4709 American Time Use Survey, 2005
http://www.icpsr.umich.edu/cocoon/ICPSR/STUDY/04709.xml

21140 Preparedness of Large Retail Malls to Prevent and Respond to Terrorist Attack, 2004 [United States]
http://www.icpsr.umich.edu/cocoon/ICPSR/STUDY/21140.xml

4702 Afrobarometer: Round 2.5 Survey of South Africa, 2004
http://www.icpsr.umich.edu/cocoon/ICPSR/STUDY/04702.xml

4664 ABC News Hurricane Katrina Anniversary Poll, August 2006
http://www.icpsr.umich.edu/cocoon/ICPSR/STUDY/04664.xml

20440 Nations, Development, and Democracy, 1800-2005
http://www.icpsr.umich.edu/cocoon/ICPSR/STUDY/20440.xml

20262 Response to Terrorism by Local Prosecutors in 70 Large Jurisdictions in the United States, 2004
http://www.icpsr.umich.edu/cocoon/ICPSR/STUDY/20262.xml

21302 The Determinants of Aid in the Post-Cold War Era
http://www.icpsr.umich.edu/cocoon/ICPSR/STUDY/21302.xml

Updated Files:

4300 AsiaBarometer, 2003
http://www.icpsr.umich.edu/cocoon/ICPSR/STUDY/04300.xml

4341 Eurobarometer 62.1: The Constitutional Treaty, Economic Challenges, Vocational Training, Information Technology at Work, Environmental Issues, and Services of General …
http://www.icpsr.umich.edu/cocoon/ICPSR/STUDY/04341.xml

20520 Children of Immigrants Longitudinal Study (CILS), 1991-2006
http://www.icpsr.umich.edu/cocoon/ICPSR/STUDY/20520.xml

2038 State Court Processing Statistics, 1990-2004: Felony Defendants in Large Urban Counties
http://www.icpsr.umich.edu/cocoon/ICPSR/STUDY/02038.xml

Courtesy of the Inter-university Consortium for Political and Social Research http://www.icpsr.umich.edu/

January 25, 2008

Nice Tool for Tracking Congressional Staff Salaries & Travel

Launched in September 2006, LegiStorm provides a variety of important information about the US Congress.

From their site: “Based on Capitol Hill in Washington, DC, LegiStorm’s first information product was a database of congressional staff salaries but we have now added other valuable information, such as the most comprehensive database of all privately financed trips taken by members of Congress and congressional staffers.”

From Gary Price’s ResourceShelf, see: http://www.resourceshelf.com/2008/01/10/databases-legistorm-us-government-salary-database-browse-and-search/.

January 28, 2008

Religious Demographic Profiles for 10 Nations

The Pew Forum on Religion and Public Life has issued a set of Religious Demographic Profiles for the following countries:

Chile
Guatemala
India
Kenya
Nigeria
Philippines
South Africa
South Korea
United States

Courtesy of Gary Price’s ResourceShelf, see: http://www.resourceshelf.com/2008/01/12/fast-facts-country-religious-demographic-profiles-for-10-nations/.

January 29, 2008

Track 2008 Presidential Campaigns via C-SPAN Campaign Network

C-SPAN Campaign Network provides live and archived coverage of many 2008 Presidential Campaign events. From Town Hall Meetings to Victory Speeches to Endorsement Announcements. You’ll also be able to access campaign commercials from various candidates. An RSS Feed and email announcements are also available.

Search by:

  • Candidate Name
  • Date/Date Range
  • Title or Description
  • Event Location

If you can’t find the debates on Campaign Network, you can also search the primary C-SPAN site.

Courtesy of Gary Price’s ResourceShelf, see: http://www.resourceshelf.com/2008/01/13/c-spans-campaign-network-what-are-people-watching-on-c-span-web-site/.