Initialisms are made from the first letter (or letters) of a string of words, but can't be pronounced as words themselves. Examples include FBI, CIA, FYI (for your information), and PR (public relations).
Acronyms are made from the first letter (or letters) of a string of words but are pronounced as if they were words themselves. Examples include NASA, NIMBY (not in my backyard), and hazmat* (hazardous materials).
Abbreviations are any shortened form of a word. http://grammar.quickanddirtytips.com/acronyms-grammar.aspx

Carthage was the world’s first great city to have indoor plumbing, which supplied a constant stream of water to the world’s first high-rise apartment towers. The city was protected by a massive harbor that held hundreds of war ships–which formed the core of antiquity’s most formidable navy. And to protect the capital, an intricate series of fortifications were erected that stretched for more than 23 miles, and housed a standing army of more than 20,000 men.
For generations, Carthage defined power, strength and ingenuity for the ancient world. But by the third century B.C., the empire’s existence was threatened by another emerging superpower across the pond– Rome. The two civilizations clashed in a series of three epic wars; a to–the–death struggle for supremacy that would last 118 years. When all was said and done, it would be the Romans who would inherit unrivalled status as the world’s lone superpower, and go on to redefine the meaning of power and ingenuity.
http://www.history.ca/ontv/titledetails.aspx?titleid=104661

Oceanographers hoping to create a comprehensive census of marine life are deciding that their task is far bigger than imagined. During some 300 voyages scientists of the 10-year Census of Marine Life have been sampling plankton, microbes and sediment-dwellers, but the rate at which they made new discoveries—including a bacterial community the size of Greece on the seabed near Chile—is forcing them to reappraise their estimates of how much they know.
“There are many more species than we thought there were,” Dr Ann Bucklin, head of the University of Connecticut Marine Sciences Department, who headed up the team investigating zooplankton, told The Times. It turns out the ocean food web is much more complex than we thought it was, in terms of the number of different species.” http://www.timesonline.co.uk/tol/news/science/biology_evolution/article7101533.ece

Q: What was the highest number of unemployed people during the Depression of the 1930s?
A: The unemployment rate spiked at 24.9 percent in 1933. The number of out-of-work people swelled to 12.8 million, while 38.8 million people had jobs. The way the government measured employment was different then. For instance, figures are based on workers 14 years of age and older. Today's figures are based on workers 16 years and older. As of this March, 138.9 million people were employed, while 15 million were without jobs. The unemployment rate stands at 9.7 percent, close to its highest levels since the early 1980s. The labor force, however, has tripled since 1933. That's why the rate is lower now, even though there are more people out of work. -- Jeannine Aversa, AP, Washington.
Q: When was the original "Mickey Mouse Club" broadcast?
A: It was on ABC-TV from Oct. 3, 1955 to Sept. 25, 1959. The final season was almost entirely repackaged material. http://www.thecourier.com/Opinion/columns/2010/Apr/JU/ar_JU_041910.asp?d=041910,2010,Apr,19&c=c_13

100 Years of Consumer Spending: "Spending habits have changed significantly over the last century. We have seen great increases in the percentage of income that is allocated to housing and transportation, relative spending on food and clothing has fallen. Here is a full breakdown of how consumer spending has changed over the last 100 years."

U.S. Department of State Self Study Guides for 35 Countries
"The U.S. Department of State provided these thirty five Self Study Guides in response to a FOIA request. This series of study guides, each covering a country or geographic area, were prepared for the use of USAID staff assigned to temporary duty in those countries. The guides are designed to allow individuals to familiarize themselves with the country or area in which they will be posted. These guides range in date from 2000 - 2006." [via governmentattic.org FOIA request]

Pew Report: Distrust, Discontent, Anger and Partisan Rancor The People and Their Government, April 18, 2010
"By almost every conceivable measure Americans are less positive and more critical of government these days. A new Pew Research Center survey finds a perfect storm of conditions associated with distrust of government – a dismal economy, an unhappy public, bitter partisan-based backlash, and epic discontent with Congress and elected officials. Rather than an activist government to deal with the nation’s top problems, the public now wants government reformed and growing numbers want its power curtailed. With the exception of greater regulation of major financial institutions, there is less of an appetite for government solutions to the nation’s problems – including more government control over the economy – than there was when Barack Obama first took office."

The stadium effect is a phenomenon observed in strong tropical cyclones. It is a fairly common event, where the clouds of the eyewall curve outward from the surface with height. This gives the eye an appearance resembling an open dome from the air. http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Eye_(cyclone)#Stadium_effect

Today I'm posting my 400th blog at: http://librariansmuse.blogspot.com