U-M first to sign new digitization agreement with Google
Follow up to previous articles on Google Book Search: "The University of Michigan today announced that it has expanded its historic agreement with Google Inc. to create digital copies of millions of U-M library books and journals. The amended agreement, which strengthens library preservation efforts and increases the public's access to books, is possible because of Google's pending settlement with a broad class of authors and publishers. The U-M library is the first in the nation to expand its partnership with Google."

Report: How Philadelphia and Other Cities are Balancing Budgets in a Time of Recession
"A new study from the Pew Philadelphia Research Initiative looks at how 13 major cities are coping with the recession and finds that most are facing significant budget gaps and are cutting services and personnel in response. Philadelphia is one of four cities studied that is planning at least one major tax hike—a five-year, one percentage point increase in the sales tax. Tough Decisions and Limited Options: How Philadelphia and Other Cities are Balancing Budgets in a Time of Recession examines the budget decisions that have been proposed or enacted in Philadelphia, placing its challenges in the context of 12 other cities: Atlanta, Baltimore, Boston, Chicago, Columbus (OH), Detroit, Kansas City (MO), Los Angeles, New York, Phoenix, Pittsburgh and Seattle."

Annual Report for the Iwokrama International Centre for Rainforest Conservation and Developmentt
"The Iwokrama International Centre for Rainforest Conservation and Development (IIC) is an autonomous non-profit institution established by Guyana and the Commonwealth. Through the dedication of 371,000 hectares (about one million acres) of intact tropical rainforest by the Government and People of Guyana to the International Community, the IIC aims to show how tropical forests can be conserved and sustainably used for ecological, social and economic benefits to local, national and international communities." Iwokrama Annual Report 2008

H1N1 Flu & International Education Information & Resources
Follow up to previous postings on swine flu and A/H1N1: from the Consortium for North American Higher Education Collaboration (CONAHEC) - "The information in this site is intended to support internationally oriented higher education administrators, study abroad representatives, faculty and students by helping inform their decisions and actions affecting international academic activities stemming from concerns over the H1N1 strain of influenza...We are regularly updating basic statistics about the virus outbreak in the North American region. The information is provided by the appropriate government agencies of Mexico, the U.S. and Canada."
Click here to download a MS Excel file that is updated on a daily basis which includes 10 data sets, charts, and information at state/provincial levels.

EPA Announces Start of Hudson River Dredging
News release: "The dredging and related work will be conducted by GE under the terms of a November 2006 consent decree. EPA will oversee all aspects of the work; dredging will continue through October 2009, weather permitting. At the conclusion of this first phase of the project, an independent panel of experts will review the results of the dredging and potentially make recommendations for changes that may be incorporated throughout the remainder of the dredging, which is targeted for completion in 2015. This first phase of the dredging project will be conducted 24 hours a day, six days a week and targets the removal of 265,000 cubic yards of sediment and 20,300 kilograms of PCBs from a six-mile stretch of the river between Roger’s Island and Thompson Island. Sediment removed from the river will be carried by barge to a dewatering facility located on the Champlain Canal in Fort Edward. At this facility, water will be squeezed from the sediment and treated to drinking water standards before being returned to the canal. The remaining PCB-laden dirt will be loaded onto railcars for ultimate disposal at a permitted landfill facility in Andrews, Texas. The entire project will remove an estimated 1.8 million cubic yards of sediment and 113,000 kg of PCBs."
EPA's Hudson River Dredging Data website
General Electric’s website for the Dredging Project

“Human history and rivers are inextricably intertwined. Of all the geologic wonders of nature, none has played a more central and continuous role in the history of civilization than rivers. Fanning out across every major landmass except the Antarctic, all great rivers wove an arterial network that played a pivotal role in the inception of early civilizations and in the evolution of today’s modern nation-states.” Stuart A. Kallen

Mockingbirds can distinguish between individual humans, according to a new study by University of Florida biologists. "Our results show that these birds are much more perceptive of their human environment than we thought was possible," said Doug Levey, a UF professor of biology. For the study, student participants approached mockingbird nests, gently touched the edges of the nest and then walked away. After witnessing these 30-second advances for two consecutive days, the mockingbirds could distinguish the volunteers from the thousands of other people who walk near their nests each day, Levey said. The birds in the study gave alarm calls, flew overhead, swooped at participants and sometimes made direct contact with their heads. But when different volunteers approached the nest, the mockingbirds did not exhibit these defensive behaviors.
"This study gives us an idea of what mockingbirds are doing all day," Fitzpatrick said.
As they build nests, raise young and feed on insects, they keenly observe and remember everything that comes near their territory. "Mockingbirds can recognize a human after only 60 seconds of contact," Levey said. "I would challenge most humans to do the same." http://www.gainesville.com/article/20090519/ARTICLES/905191010/1002?Title=Study-Mockingbirds-recognize-individual-humans

There is a battle over federal preemption of state laws governing product-liability and personal-injury suits. The Bush administration encouraged federal agencies to issue rules preempting state laws and declared that a single federal standard held sway. But in a two-page order on May 21, President Obama called for a rollback of these regulations. He said federal agencies and departments should claim that state law is preempted by federal law only when there is a well-defined legal basis, and ordered agencies to review regulations from the past 10 years to see if the government had improperly asserted federal preemption. Click here for the WSJ story, from Alicia Mundy and Brent Kendall. WSJ Law Blog May 21, 2009