Pew Report - The Internet's Role in Campaign 2008 "Some 74% of internet users--representing 55% of the entire adult population--went online in 2008 to get involved in the political process or to get news and information about the election. This marks the first time that a Pew Internet & American Life Project survey has found that more than half of the voting-age population used the internet to get involved in the political process during an election year. Several online activities rose to prominence in 2008. In particular, Americans were eager to share their views on the race with others and to take part in the online debate on social media sites such as blogs and social networking sites."
The Internet's Role in Campaign 2008 - A majority of American adults went online in 2008 to keep informed about political developments and to get involved with the election. April 2009

Federal Reserve Beige Book, April 15, 2009
April 15, 2009 - Summary of Commentary on Current Economic Conditions by Federal Reserve District
Reports from the Federal Reserve Banks indicate that overall economic activity contracted further or remained weak. However, five of the twelve Districts noted a moderation in the pace of decline, and several saw signs that activity in some sectors was stabilizing at a low level. Manufacturing activity weakened across a broad range of industries in most Districts, with only a few exceptions. Nonfinancial service activity continued to contract across Districts. Retail spending remained sluggish, although some Districts noted a slight improvement in sales compared with the previous reporting period. Residential real estate markets continued to be weak. Home prices and construction were still falling in most areas, but better-than-expected buyer traffic led to a scattered pickup in sales in a number of Districts. Nonresidential real estate conditions continued to deteriorate. Difficulty obtaining commercial real estate financing was constraining construction and investment activity. Spending on business travel declined as corporations cut back. Reports on tourism were mixed. Bankers reported tight credit conditions, rising delinquencies, and some deterioration of loan quality."

New GAO Reports: Defined Benefit Plans, Nuclear Security
Defined Benefit Plans: Proposed Plan Buyouts by Financial Firms Pose Potential Risks and Benefits, GAO-09-207, March 16, 2009
Nuclear Security: Better Oversight Needed to Ensure That Security Improvements at Lawrence Livermore National Laboratory Are Fully Implemented and Sustained, GAO-09-321, March 16, 2009

Official version: Public Law 111–5, 111th Congress, 123 STAT. 115, Feb. 17, 2009 [H.R. 1] American Recovery and Reinvestment Act of 2009 . 407 pages, PDF "An Act Making supplemental appropriations for job preservation and creation, infrastructure investment, energy efficiency and science, assistance to the unemployed, and State and local fiscal stabilization, for the fiscal year ending September 30, 2009, and for other purposes.

Energy Production Data (04/09/2009): "This special report examines the stages of natural gas processing from the wellhead to the pipeline network through which the raw product becomes ready for transportation and eventual consumption, and how this sequence is reflected in the data published by the Energy Information Administration (EIA).” Natural Gas Residential Choice Programs (04/08/2009): "This site provides an overview of the status of natural gas industry restructuring in each state, focusing on the residential customer class. (Status by State as of December 2008)"
Quarterly Coal Report (QCR) - 4th Quarter 2008 (04/08/2009): “Provides detailed quarterly coal data for October-December 2008 and aggregated quarterly historical coal data for 2002 through 4th Quarter 2008. All data for 2007 and prior years are final. All data for 2008 are preliminary. View an on-line summary of the publication."
Market Assessment of Planned Refinery Outages (04/08/2009): "This report reviews planned U.S. refinery outages from March 2009 though June 2009 in order to identify any regions where outages might create enough supply pressure to impact prices significantly."
Green Pricing and Net Metering Programs (04/07/2009): “This report provides detailed information on the number of electric industry participants and their customers in these programs for 2007. T he number of green pricing customers in 2007 was more than 800,000 nationwide, while the number of net metering customers was nearly 50,000."

EPA Adds Nine Hazardous Waste Sites to Superfund’s National Priorities List
: "The U.S. Environmental Protection Agency is adding nine new hazardous waste sites that pose risks to human health and the environment to the National Priorities List of Superfund sites. Also, EPA is proposing to add 13 other sites to the list. Superfund is the federal program that investigates and cleans up the most complex, uncontrolled or abandoned hazardous waste sites in the country. To date, there have been 1,596 sites listed on the NPL. Of these sites, 332 sites have been deleted resulting in 1,264 final sites currently on the NPL. With the proposal of the 13 new sites, there are 67 proposed sites awaiting final agency action: 62 in the general Superfund section and five in the federal facilities section. There are a total of 1,331 final and proposed sites."
Federal Register notices and supporting documents for these final and proposed sites

Roman a clef (novel with a key) is a novel in which actual persons and events are disguised as fictional characters. http://www.google.com/search?hl=en&defl=en&q=define:roman+a+clef&ei=kY3jScKkEonpnQe04tmpCQ&sa=X&oi=glossary_definition&ct=title

Roman noir (black novel) is a term coined in the 20th century to describe crime fiction. http://www.librarything.com/tag/roman+noir

Beginning May 11th, the cost of a first-class postage stamp will go from 42 cents to 44 cents. You can take advantage of “forever" stamps, costing 42 cents until May 11th. The forever stamps are honored wherever they are used, with no need for additional postage for a one-ounce letter. On May 11th, however, the price of a forever stamp will increase to 44 cents. http://www.kyw1060.com/pages/3826028.php?