As with everything else in this country, the concept of daylight saving time is attributed to Benjamin Franklin. Just remember that we gain an hour on Sunday; heed the mantra: “spring ahead, fall behind.” For additional information, we recommend: Daylight Saving Time (WebExhibits); Saving Time, Saving Energy (nationalatlas.gov); Does Daylight Saving Time Conserve Energy? (Scientific American); Daylight Saving Time (CRS); Advancement of Time or Changeover Dates (US Code); and Does Daylight Saving Time Save Energy? Evidence from a Natural Experiment in Indiana (National Bureau of Economic Research). And although most of us say “daylight savings time,” it technically is “daylight saving time.”
Archive for October, 2009
FBI Domestic Investigations and Operations Guide
This redacted operations manual is made available courtesy of The New York Times. The stated purpose of this manual, in conjunction with the Attorney General’s Guidelines for Domestic FBI Operations, “…is to standardize policy so that criminal, national security, and foreign intelligence investigative activities are accomplished in a consistent manner, whenever possible….”(Preamble, xi). The Times provides additional explanatory information presented via highlighted sections.
Wealthiest Dead Celebrities
In keeping with the macabre, forbes.com has released its list of the top-earning dead celebrities. Michael Jackson makes the list, but he is surpassed by a fashion designer. Who is it do you ask? Just follow the link.
Halloween
As we look forward to hordes of sugar-induced hyperactive children careening up and down our streets come Saturday, here are a few sites of interest for this day: the Census Bureau’s Facts for Features entry on Halloween should statisfy those who need numbers, not candy; the History Channel’s page on this holiday contains histories and videos; The Fantasy and Folklore of All Hallows from the Library of Congress makes for a good read; this article by the Celtic scholar Alexi Kondratiev - Samhain: Season of Death and Renewal is well worth the time; books and readings on this day are available from Sacred Texts; NASA chimes in with Spooky Space Sounds; and observances from around the world are found at this informative site sponsored by the NEH. And let’s not forget the greatest Halloween prank of all – The War of the Worlds radio broadcast.
Free Online Biomedical Texts
There are more than a few current biomedical texts available for perusal online. First of all, check out the NCBI(National Center forBiotechnology Information) Bookshelf which contains well over 100 titles ranging from Patient Safety and Quality: An Evidence-Based Handbook for Nurses (2008) to Dynamics of Cancer (2007). Not to be ignored is the National Academies Press’ Health and Medicine site which contains current monographs on everything from diseases to minority health. And the Merck Manuals Online Medical Library are free, updated versions of the venerable Merck manuals augmented with audio and visual material.
President Obama’s Speech for Jon Corzine
You can read a transcript of his speech as well as watch a video. News reports from the Bergen Record, Bloomberg, and the Philadelphia Inquirer should also be perused.
President Obama in Northern New Jersey Today
President Obama will be at the Rothman Center of the Teaneck campus of FDU this afternoon. Unfortunately, this fund-raising event is by invitation only. You may read more about this thanks to The Star-Ledger, Time.com, and the Bergen Record. Traffic will be a nightmare as can be seen from this New York Daily News piece. And keep abreast of the governor’s race by consulting this previous post.
List of Fake Swine Flu Products
If you have been accessing the news of late, you have heard reports of bogus products claiming to protect you against the swine flu. This FDA-produced list presents 139 products that have NOT been approved by the FDA; you can search by brand name, product name, or category; i.e., “mask products” or “herbal extract products.” This list will be updated as needed.
Intelligence Community Legal Reference Book
This almost 1000 page tome, from the Office of the Director of National Intelligence, contains enabling legislation and executives orders ranging from the National Security Act of 1947 to executive order 13493(2009). “The Intelligence Community draws much of its authority and guidance from the body of law contained in this collection.”(p.iii)
Women and Work
A spate of recent reports have bearing on the above topic: the Bureau of Labor Statistics’ Women in the Labor Force: A Databook (highlights of the report can be accessed here); The Harried Life of the Working Mother(Pew); Women Gain as Men Lose Jobs (USA Today); Changes in the Distribution of Workers’ Annual Salaries Between 1979 and 2007 (CBO); International Review of Leave Policies and Related Research 2009 (Department for Business, Innovation and Skills, UK); and Recession Drives Women Back to the Work Force (New York Times).
