CIA World Factbook Launches New Web Site
"On Monday, June 8, the World Factbook team unveiled its thoroughly redesigned Web site. Presenting a cleaner look, improved navigation, and a host of added features, the new site provides visitors with a more user-friendly experience. The CIA first made the Factbook available to the public in 1975 and launched its online presence in 1997. This is the first major redesign of the Factbook site in over a decade. More than 3 million visitors access the online Factbook monthly. The world-renowned Factbook provides visitors with wide-ranging and hard-to-locate information about the background, geography, people, government, economy, communications, transportation, military, and transnational issues for 266 countries and other entities."

Special Tax Break on New Car Purchases Available in States With No Sales Tax
The Internal Revenue Service and Treasury Department has announced that a tax break for the purchase of new motor vehicles is available in states that do not have a state sales tax. Under the American Recovery and Reinvestment Act of 2009, taxpayers who buy a new motor vehicle this year are entitled to deduct state or local sales or excise taxes paid on the purchase.

Federal Reserve Board Beige Book, June 2009
June 10, 2009 - Summary of Commentary on Current Economic Conditions by Federal Reserve District. Link to reports by Districts.
"Reports from the twelve Federal Reserve District Banks indicate that economic conditions remained weak or deteriorated further during the period from mid-April through May. However, five of the Districts noted that the downward trend is showing signs of moderating. Further, contacts from several Districts said that their expectations have improved, though they do not see a substantial increase in economic activity through the end of the year. Manufacturing activity declined or remained at a low level across most Districts. However, several Districts also reported that the outlook by manufacturers has improved somewhat. Demand for nonfinancial services contracted across Districts reporting on this segment. Retail spending remained soft as consumers focused on purchasing less expensive necessities and shied away from buying luxury goods. New car purchases remained depressed, with several Districts indicating that tight credit conditions were hampering auto sales. Travel and tourism activity also declined. A number of Districts reported an uptick in home sales, and many said that new home construction appeared to have stabilized at very low levels. Vacancy rates for commercial properties were rising in many parts of the country, while developers are finding financing for new commercial projects increasingly difficult to obtain."

Bureau of Labor Statistics: Employer Costs for Employee Compensation
Employer Costs for Employee Compensation Summary - May 2009:
Employer costs for employee compensation averaged $29.39 per hour worked in March 2009, the U.S. Department of Labor’s Bureau of Labor Statistics has reported. Wages and salaries, which averaged $20.49, accounted for 69.7 percent of these costs, while benefits, which averaged $8.90, accounted for the remaining 30.3 percent. Employer Costs for Employee Compensation, based on the National Compensation Survey, measures employer costs for wages, salaries, and employee benefits for nonfarm private and state and local government workers.

USDA: Emerging Issues in the U.S. Organic Industry, by Catherine Greene, Carolyn Dimitri, Biing-Hwan Lin, William McBride, Lydia Oberholtzer, and Travis Smith. Economic Information Bulletin No. (EIB-55) 36 pp, June 2009
Consumer demand for organic products has widened over the last decade. While new producers have emerged to help meet demand, market participants report that a supply squeeze is constraining growth for both individual firms and the organic sector overall. Partly in response to shortages in organic supply, Congress in 2008 included provisions in the Food, Conservation, and Energy Act (2008 Farm Act) that, for the first time, provide direct financial support to farmers to convert to organic production. This report examines recent economic research on the adoption of organic farming systems, organic production costs and returns, and market conditions to gain a better understanding of the organic supply squeeze and other emerging issues in this rapidly changing industry."

Legal, Factual and Other Internet Sites for Attorneys and Legal Professionals.
Timothy L. Coggins, Legal, Factual and Other Internet Sites for Attorneys and Legal Professionals, XV RICH. J.L. & TECH. 13 (2009).
"This listing of Internet sites for legal, factual, and other research presents a variety of sources for attorneys, law students, law librarians, and others who use the Web. Initially developed for an Advanced Legal Research course and a continuing education session for legal assistants and paralegals, the listing includes sites for primary authorities, both federal and state, as well as URLs for other types of information such as names of possible expert witnesses and biographical and background information about individuals."

The 2009 Outlook for Hurricane Production Outages in the Gulf of Mexico (06/09/2009): EIA's projections for hurricane production outages of crude oil and natural gas in the Gulf of Mexico for the 2009 hurricane season.
Short-Term Energy Outlook June 2009 (06/09/2009): "Short-term energy projections for supply, demand, and price for the major fuels through 2010 for the U.S. Global oil forecasts are included."
International Petroleum Monthly - May 2009 (06/09/2009): "This report contains world petroleum production data through March 2009; and OECD country petroleum demand, imports, and stocks data through February 2009. Also included are international oil balance data for 2004-2008 and annual petroleum data series for 1970-2008."

The U.S. flag has changed 27 times in the nation's history with designs that included stars in circles, stars in squares and even stars in the shape of an hourglass. Legally, the flag was born June 14, 1777, after the Continental Congress adopted this resolution: "That the Flag of the united states be 13 stripes alternate red and white, that the Union be 13 stars white in a blue field representing a new constellation." The flag of 1818 had 20 stars that formed one great star. The banner of 1876 had 38 stars arranged in an hourglass shape. Other patterns include diamonds, double circles, crosses and even a meteor. Americans were the first to put five-pointed stars on a flag in 1777, said Whitney Smith, executive director of the Flag Research Center in Winchester, Mass.
http://www.usatoday.com/news/nation/2009-06-11-flagday_N.htm

Eponyms
churrigueresque (choor-ee-guh-RESK)
adjective: baroque; lavish; over-the-top
After José Benito Churriguera (1650-1725), Spanish architect and sculptor, whose family was known for extravagant architectural decorations.
rachmanism (RAK-muh-niz-uhm)
noun: the exploitation and intimidation of tenants by landlords
After Peter Rachman (1919-1962), a landlord in London who became notorious for unethical practices including driving out tenants to maximize revenue from his rental properties. Another fellow who got his name in the dictionary for harassing tenants is Charles Boycott (1832-1897), a British land agent in Ireland, whose mistreatment of tenants resulted in his getting ostracized, i.e. he was boycotted.
mausoleum (maw-suh-LEE-uhm)
noun: a large tomb, usually an ornate stone building
After Mausolus, a Persian governor in 4th century BCE. His monumental tomb was considered as one of the Seven Wonders of the Ancient World, after which any grand tomb is now called a mausoleum.
martinet (mar-ti-NET, MAR-ti-net)
noun: a strict disciplinarian.
After Jean Martinet, an army officer during the reign of Louis XIV in France. He was a tough drill master known for his strict adherence to rules and discipline. He was killed by friendly fire during the siege of Duisburg in 1672. A.Word.A.Day

Answer to yesterday’s question: Amsterdam has 90 islands 500 bridges and 50 museums. It’s only naturally flowing waterway is the Amstel River.