Gov-stuff 4 U

The government produces lots of useful information. Why not use it? After all, your tax dollars paid for it.

[lorithegovlibrarian]

Government information for everyone!

This blog will be continued at the link above and in the Gov-stuff 4 U Facebook group.  Please continue following me there if you’d like.  Thanks!

[lorithegovlibrarian]

Have you ever returned from a trip abroad and been asked if you're carrying any produce or plants?  Have you wondered why they ask that?   It's because foreign agricultural pests can sneak into the United States in your fruit basket. Read these tips from the USDA's Animal and Plant Health Inspection Service and ensure that your gifts don't include any nasty surprises.  Your loved ones deserve berries with no beetles and wreaths with no wriggling.

[lorithegovlibrarian]

During the holiday season, when everyone is distracted by shopping, traveling, and enjoying time with friends and family, scam artists are still hard at work trying to steal your money or your identity.  The Federal Trade Commission offers several tips on how to avoid falling for a scam, and even provides alerts to let you know about new scams that have recently been reported.  So, this holiday season be merry, but also be wise.

[lorithegovlibrarian]

Pets provide many benefits to humans. They comfort us and they give us companionship. However, some animals can also pass diseases to people. These diseases are called zoonoses.

As the winter weather closes in, many people will start spending even more time cuddling with their pets.  A healthy pet is happier and less likely to pass a disease along to you during your cuddle time.  The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention offers this Healthy Pets Healthy People site with tips on keeping your companions in good shape. Follow their advice and we'll all be able to enjoy more of those photos of Fluffy and Fido that you like to share on social media.

[lorithegovlibrarian]

Learn about the Presidential election process, including the electoral college, caucuses and primaries, and the national conventions.

Though many of you may be tired of hearing about the Presidential election and just want it to be over, here's a page from USA.gov that might come in handy if the results are unusual or contested.  It explains the functioning of the Electoral College and talks about what happens if a candidate wins the popular vote but loses the election, and if no candidate gets the required 270 electoral votes.  Even if you're fed up with the Presidential race, please take the time to vote. Remember that there may be important local races and issues on the ballot as well.  Your school boards and drainage districts are depending on you.

[lorithegovlibrarian]

LGBTQ Heritage Theme Study

The U.S. National Park Service, which is celebrating its 100th anniversary this year, is charged with researching and maintaining many of America's most beloved historic sites.  Some of those sites relate to the civil rights struggles of the Lesbian, Gay, Bisexual, Transgender, and Queer (LGBTQ) population.  A special heritage theme study of LGBTQ sites and history was published this year. It's extensive, peer-reviewed, and covers many sub-populations.  Whether you're interested just in historic closets, or also in the people who emerged from them, this study might well have valuable information for you.

[lorithegovlibrarian]

There are many questions that mystify most of us.  Is a coconut a nut, a seed, or a fruit?  Does your heart really stop when you sneeze?  What causes the sound of thunder?  The Library of Congress has attempted to answer many of these questions on its Everyday Mysteries page.  One question I hope we'll never be able to answer is, "Where would we be without libraries?"

[lorithegovlibrarian]

Do the rules and procedures of the U.S. Postal Service ever confuse you?  If so, the sources available on the Postal Explorer site might help to answer your questions.  According to the site, "Postal Explorer is a virtual library of postal information and tools designed for U.S. Postal Service customers, business mailers, and employees. It puts a wealth of postal requirements for mailing and shipping domestically, internationally, and to APO/FPO/DPO destinations, at your fingertips in an easy-to-use format."  If this site doesn't provide all the answers you need, just send Uncle Sam a postcard to complain.

[lorithegovlibrarian]

A different astronomy and space science related image is featured each day, along with a brief explanation.

If you're increasingly tired of events on this planet and would like to imagine living somewhere else for a while, NASA's Astronomy Picture of the Day site might be just what you need.  "Each day a different image or photograph of our fascinating universe is featured, along with a brief explanation written by a professional astronomer."  A little "spacing out" each day might be very therapeutic for us all.

[lorithegovlibrarian]

Is the annoying buzz you hear outside your window someone trimming their lawn, or is it a drone hovering nearby and spying on you?  These days, one never knows.  If you're concerned about drones and privacy, you may want to attend/watch the Federal Trade Commission's Oct. 13 workshop/webcast on this issue.  Details about how to participate can be found on the FTC site.  It doesn't say, but I'm going to assume you can't "attend" by sending a drone with a camera to sit in for you.

[lorithegovlibrarian]

Parents Get Involved

School has started once again and parents may already be helping their children deal with homework, bullying, teachers they don't like, or other school-related problems.  Fortunately, the Kids.gov site also has a lot of information for parents.  Even though parents may no longer be in school themselves, having children is always an educational experience.

[lorithegovlibrarian]

The U.S. Food and Drug Administration today issued a final rule establishing that over-the-counter (OTC) consumer antiseptic wash products containing certain active ingredients can no longer be marketed.

If you're a big fan of antibacterial soaps and body washes, you may want to run out and stock up.  The Food and Drug Administration has issued a new rule that manufacturers will no longer be able to sell products with certain antibacterials ingredients.  This announcement from the FDA explains why. Germaphobes can still rest easy--hand sanitizers are not affected by this rule.

[lorithegovlibrarian]

Talcum powder poisoning: MedlinePlus Medical Encyclopedia

Talcum powder has been in the news lately because some people claim it causes ovarian cancer.  Even if that claim proves not to be true, you should be careful when using talcum powder because it can be poisonous. (Yes, poisonous.) This article from the National Library of Medicine's MedLinePlus Medical Encyclopedia offers details.  Just to be safe, you might want to think about switching to corn starch.

[lorithegovlibrarian]

Find out where to get answers to common questions about wildlife and other animals in your community.

Like humans, wild animals can encounter situations that they need some help to handle.  We all know to call 911 if we see a human that needs emergency assistance, but who would you call to get help for an injured bear or to report that you'd seen a moose with six legs?  This page from the USA.gov site will lead you to the appropriate resources.  Smokey and Bullwinkle will surely appreciate you sending the right people to help them.

[lorithegovlibrarian]

Even if you aren't an Olympic swimmer, you need to be concerned about pollution and other problems that may be affecting your local beaches.   Fortunately, the Environmental Protection Agency provides the BEACON 2.0 (Beach Advisory and Closing On-line Notification) database to help you out. Using the database you can discover where beaches near you are located and find out about advisories or closings that are in place for each beach.  Then, you can be off for some fun in the sun!  (But don't forget your sunscreen.)

[lorithegovlibrarian]

Sandia's primary mission is ensuring the U.S. nuclear arsenal is safe, secure, and reliable, and can fully support our nation's deterrence policy. Sandia is the engineering arm of the U.S. nuclear weapons enterprise. We weaponize the nuclear explosive package to create an effective and sustainable nuclear deterrent.

From automobiles to butter knives, every type of equipment needs to be monitored and undergo routine maintenance.  So, who is it that's taking care of the nation's nuclear arsenal?  That job belongs to the Sandia National Laboratories.  As their site says, they're, "Ensuring the nation's nuclear weapons stockpile is safe, secure, and reliable."  The site not only provides information about how the Laboratories carry out this mission, it also includes a video "tour" of the work being done by Sandia.  Laboratories' employees are in a rare position--they spend much of their time and effort ensuring the effectiveness of equipment that we all hope will never be used.

[lorithegovlibrarian]

Child heatstroke is deadly, and it happens quickly in hot cars. Get tips and resources from the Where's Baby – Look Before You Lock campaign.

Summer heat combined with hectic summer schedules can sometimes lead to child heatstroke and tragic results.  This site from the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration provides some tips to ensure that your child doesn't accidentally get forgotten in the back seat of a hot car.  Even the best parents are only human.  (Though some "children" are not.  Four-footed furry children can get heatstroke too.)