Join us for the Geography Awareness Week Kickoff Event – November 3, 2011 @ UConn

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Are you interested in learning more about your local community through a geographic lens? Join us for today’s (November 3, 2011) event at the UConn Storrs Campus. Drop in registrations are welcome and UConn students are admitted for free! Details are included below.


Geography: The Adventures in Your Community
Thursday, November 3, 2011 4:45-8:00pm
Thomas J Dodd Research Center at UConn
Storrs, Connecticut
The heart of this year’s theme will revolve around a series of topics that encourage individuals or teams of students, families, or friends to explore their own communities through geographic eyes, and challenge them to look at things from a geographic perspective.
Program Agenda
4:00-4:30 Pre-conference tour of UConn Libraries – MAGIC
4:30-4:45 Registration – Thomas J. Dodd Research Center
4:45-5:00 Welcome – Bill DeGrazia & Tom Brodnitzki, CGA Co-Coordinators
5:00-6:00 Keynote Speaker – Arthur Bakis – U.S. Census Bureau Boston Regional Office
6:05-6:55 Buffet Dinner and Remarks
7:00-7:50 Breakout Sessions
I – Elementary Teachers – Allyson Lubs, Professional Development CGA
II – Middle & High School Teachers – Kristie Blanchard, NE Geography Teacher of the Year
III – Exploration of American Community Survey (ACS) –
Michael Howser, Connecticut State Data Center
7:50-8:00 CEU Records and Drawings

Participation Fee: $25 (add $10 if you would like to be awarded .3 CEUs upon completion of the program). The fee includes registration and a light dinner. Checks should be made payable to “Connecticut Geographic Alliance.“
Pre-Service Teachers receive a reduced registration fee of $10 and currently enrolled UConn Students receive free admission.
This workshop is a collaboration of the Connecticut Geographic Alliance, University of Connecticut Department of Geography, University of Connecticut Libraries Map and Geographic Information Center (MAGIC), and the Connecticut State Data Center.
Participants can register at the door for this event.

Census Bureau Reports State and Local Governments Revenue (Nationally) Declines 22 Percent in 2009

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In 2009, state and local governments brought in nearly $2.1 trillion, a 22.1 percent ($587.5 billion) decrease from 2008, according to statistics from the U.S. Census Bureau. Most tax revenue categories saw declines except property tax, which saw a 3.7 percent increase to $424.0 billion.

These findings come from the 2009 Annual Surveys of State and Local Government Finances, which include statistics on revenues (including taxes), expenditures, debt and assets (cash and security holdings) for state and local governments.
Revenue from the federal government increased 12.3 percent from $478.0 billion to $536.8 billion between 2008 and 2009. (See Table 1 [Excel])
Spending increased 4.6 percent for state and local governments, totaling almost $3.0 trillion in 2009. Education continued to be the largest expense ($850.7 billion), followed by public welfare, which consisted of support of and assistance to needy people ($431.1 billion) and insurance trust ($275.5 billion). (See Table 1 [Excel])
Debt outstanding for state and local governments increased $131.1 billion (5.1 percent) to $2.7 trillion in 2009.
State and local spending on education comprised more than 33.0 percent of expenditures in nine states (Alabama, Arkansas, Georgia, Kansas, New Jersey, Texas, Vermont, Virginia and West Virginia). Elementary and secondary education totaled more than 24 percent of spending in New Jersey (25.8 percent) and Georgia (24.3 percent). Maine led the nation in state and local government spending on public welfare as a percentage of total spending (24.1 percent). (See Table 3 [Excel] and Table 4 [Excel])
For local governments, property tax revenue was up 3.7 percent to $411.0 billion. Public welfare spending increased 2.1 percent for local governments, led by vendor payments (payments to private vendors for medical care, hospital care, and other goods and services provided to needy people), which jumped 11.5 percent to $6.3 billion in 2009. Spending on utilities increased 6.4 percent, led by transit spending, which increased 13.8 percent. (See Table 2 [Excel])
Other highlights for state and local government finances:
  • Unemployment compensation saw an 86.0 percent increase from $35.6 billion in 2008 to $66.2 billion in 2009.
  • Insurance benefits and repayments increased 17.9 percent to $275.5 billion.
  • Spending on administering social insurance increased 12.6 percent from $4.1 billion in 2008 to $4.6 billion in 2009.
  • Revenue from individual income taxes decreased 11.3 percent from $304.9 billion to $270.5 billion.
  • Corporate income taxes revenue declined 19.2 percent to $46.0 billion.
  • Insurance trust revenue dropped 683.5 percent to $-498.0 billion, driven by employee retirement losses. Insurance trust revenue includes retirement and insurance contributions and earnings and losses on investment assets.
  • Cash and security holdings decreased 15.0 percent to $4.6 trillion because of a decrease in employee retirement assets, which declined 23.8 percent in 2009.
  • Spending on highways comprised more than 10.0 percent of expenditures in Alaska, North Dakota and South Dakota. (See Table 3 [Excel])
Data in this report are subject to sampling variability as well as nonsampling errors. Sources of nonsampling errors include errors of response, nonreporting and coverage. More details covering the design methodology are available online at <http://www2.census.gov/govs/estimate/2009_Local_Finance_Methodology.pdf>. All comparative statements in this report have undergone statistical testing, and unless otherwise noted, all comparisons are statistically significant at the 10 percent significance level.

Source: U.S. Census Bureau

A Survey of NYC’s Privately Owned Public Spaces

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As of the morning November 3, 93 of the 391 privately owned public spaces had been visited.

WNYC’s Brian Leher Show and The New York World have initiated a mapping project to survey privately owned public spaces (like Zuccotti Park – home to Occupy Wall Street demonstrations) in New York City. The collaborators are asking the public to fill out a form that describes their experiences at the places. The questions include:

  • What day of the week did you visit the space?
  • What time did you visit the space?
  • Users are asked to rank the condition of the space (1-5)
  • What kinds of features define this space?
  • What kinds of activities are happening in this space?

The deadline for submissions is November 9th. The results of this project, which I look forward to seeing, should create an interesting narrative that describes what these spaces are like and how they are used, which is especially compelling in light of recent events.

Census Bureau to Release Supplemental Poverty Measure Research – November 7

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On Monday, Nov. 7, the U.S. Census Bureau will release research on a supplemental poverty measure that complements, but does not replace, the nation’s official poverty measure.

Census Bureau subject matter experts will host a technical webinar Friday, Nov. 4 in advance of the release to provide background into the development of the supplemental measure as well as the methodology used.

The Census Bureau developed the supplemental poverty measure after years of research and collaboration with the National Academy of Sciences and other organizations. The supplemental measure is designed to reflect contemporary social and economic realities and further our understanding of economic conditions and trends.

Technical Webinar
What:                    The webinar will consist of a simultaneous audio conference and online presentation. Reporters will have the opportunity to ask questions after completion of the presentation. The webinar focuses on the technical issues surrounding the development of the measure; the research results will be presented and posted online Monday, Nov. 7 (see below).
When:                   Friday, Nov. 4, 10 a.m. EDT       
Who:                     Kathleen Short, research economist, U.S. Census Bureau
Thesia Garner, research economist, U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics 
Details:                 Audio conference ― access information
                              Toll free number: 888-994-3819
                              Passcode: CENSUS
Online presentation ― access information
Please login early, as some setup is required.
URL: <https://www.mymeetings.com/nc/join/>
Conference/meeting number: PW9176213
Conference/meeting passcode: CENSUS
Note: Stay on the line until operator asks for the passcode. Do not key in passcode.
If closed captioning is required:
Seminar and Release of Supplemental Poverty Measure Research
What:             The Census Bureau will release a report on its supplemental poverty measure research results at a seminar co-sponsored with the Brookings Institution’s Center on Children and Families. Following the presentation on the findings, the Census Bureau’s subject matter expert will be available to answer questions from the media. The research report will be posted on the Census Bureau website at the conclusion of the presentation.
When:             Monday, Nov. 7, 2011
Presentation: 8:30 to 9 a.m. EST
Q&A session: 9 to 9:30 a.m. EST
Who:               Kathleen Short, research economist, U.S. Census Bureau
Where:           Brookings Institution
1775 Massachusetts Ave, NW
Washington, D.C. 20036
Presentation: Falk Auditorium
 Q&A session: Johnson Room (adjacent to auditorium)
Directions to Brookings can be found at <http://www.brookings.edu/about/directions.aspx>.
Contact:         Reporters planning to attend should contact D.J. Nordquist of Brookings at
                        <DJNordquist@brookings.edu>.

Connecticut Power Outages

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If, like me, you are still without power in Connecticut, you may find these following resources from Connecticut Light and Power useful:

Map of Affected Customers by Town – This map displays the percentage of CL&P customers affected by outages.

A screenshot of the CL&P outage map as of Tuesday, 2 PM.

List of Estimated Restoration Projects by Town – This list displays the estimated time that restoration projects will be completed. Some estimates indicate that electricity will not be restored until this weekend, while other towns are shown at all.

A screenshot of restoration estimates as of Tuesday, 2 PM.

Global Human Population Reaches 7 Billion

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 Yesterday, it is estimated that the global human population reached 7 billion people. In response, ESRI has highlighted a map they have created that shows the world population by country. In addition to the symbology showing geographic distribution, users can also click on individual countries to access a pop-up window that shows the precise population and population graphs. If you want to know where you fit in in this world of 7 billion, check out What’s Your Number? from Population Action International.

Are Toxic Chemicals Being Released Near You?

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Screenshots from the EPA myRight-to-Know app that show facilities registered with the Toxic Release Inventory: the left image shows the Storrs-Willimantic, CT area while the image on the right displays the Hartford, CT area.
The EPA has created a web application related to the Toxic Release Inventory (TRI) Program. According to the myRight-to-Know website, the app “maps nearby facilities that report to TRI, as well as large permit holders in the Air, Water or Hazardous Waste programs that are expected to produce, manage or release TRI-reportable chemicals.”
The application uses an address search and the Google Maps basemap. When a user clicks on a facility that is displayed on the map, the user can access the facility’s report. For example:

A Pratt & Whitney facility, which is located in East Hartford, has a report that shows it is ranked 207 out of 1,240 facilities nationwide in its industry (Transportation Equipment)- with 1 representing the highest amount of releases. The facility report also shows what chemicals are being released, how much is being released, where the releases are going (Air, Water, or Land), and the chemicals’ health effects. In the case of this Pratt & Whitney facility’s report, the vast majority of its releases go into the air and include the carcinogens Nickel and Cobalt. 

The myRight-to-Know app is also available en Español.




Poverty Among Latino Children At An All-Time High

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According to a Pew Hispanic Center report, poverty among children in the U.S. is now highest in the Latino population.

According to a recent report from the Pew Hispanic Center, poverty among Latino children is at an all time high and, for the first time, has displaced White children as the single largest group of children in poverty:


“More Latino children are living in poverty—6.1 million in 2010—than children of any other racial or ethnic group. This marks the first time in U.S. history that the single largest group of poor children is not white. In 2010, 37.3% of poor children were Latino, 30.5% were white and 26.6% were black.”


Also according to the report, while about two-thirds of the children’s parents immigrated to the United States, an overwhelming majority (86%) of the children were born in America. It seems that this increase, both relative and absolute, is another impact of the Great Recession:


“Prior to the Great Recession, more white children lived in poverty than Hispanic children. However, since 2007, that pattern has reversed. Between 2007 and 2010, an additional 1.6 million Hispanic children lived in poverty, an increase of 36.3%. By contrast, even though the number of white and black children living in poverty also grew, their numbers grew more slowly—up 17.6% and 11.7% respectively.”