Transportation & the Federal Stimulus

Lately, as I’ve driven around Alabama (and other states) I’ve run into road construction (no real surprise there!)  and I’ve noticed large signs that detail the funding for the “road improvement” projects – including the money from the federal and state governments.  When President Obama signed the American Recovery and Reinvestment Act of 2009 (aka the federal stimulus bill), he indicated that there would be money for a variety of projects, and that money would make an impact  on local economies.

Alabama has established a website, recovery.alabama.gov, which I’ve previously written about.  Last week, Governor Riley announced that more than $527 millioin in stimulus money will be going towards 309 transit and aviation projects in the state.  The Alabama Department of Transportation has detailed information on its website about the particular projects, and the amount of funding allocated to them.  For instance, $580,000 has been allocated to the Tuscaloosa Regional Airport in order to rehabilitate its runway.  A map of the planned highway projects is available, in addition to a listing of projects by county.

As stimulus funds continue to make their way to Alabama, I’m going to try & provide more information here.  In case I’m not as up-to-date as you’d like, the best resource is the recovery site that the state has set up – and that includes more detailed information on grants, deadlines, etc.

Happy Independence Day!

Well, it’s not for two more days – but I’m betting that you won’t be reading this on Saturday, July 4th!

This fourth of July marks the USA’s 233rd year of independence from Great Britain.  As you might imagine, there are a variety of government resources surrounding this topic! For instance, if you’d like to learn more about the history of the 4th, you can visit the Library of Congress’ “Today in History: July 4th” site; the National Register of Historic Places’ “Teaching with Historic Places – Independence Day Lesson Plans”; or visit the National Archives’ site to view the founding documents themselves or read why we should really be celebrating our independence today, the 2nd.

In case you’re still looking for ideas as to what to do, check out the list of Alabama’s Fourth of July Celebrations.  Here in Tuscaloosa, the July Jubilee will be held at Sokol Park; Tannehill State Park in McCalla will have a parade and celebration, along with their annual Alabama Art Casting Iron Pour (aka, Sparks at Dark).

If you’ve already made your plans, here are some government resources to help you have a safe and enjoyable Independence Day:

• Fourth of July is Independence Day (USA.gov)
• Independence Day Celebrations and Programs in the National Park Service – 2009 (there is one Alabama event listed)
• Drills for the Grill (USDA Food Safety and Inspection Service)
• Barbecue and Food Safety (USDA Food Safety and Inspection Service)
• Fireworks (Consumer Product Safety Commission; includes a list of states that do/do not allow various types of fireworks, as of June 1, 2009)
• Celebrate Safety – Prevent Fireworks-Related Injuries (CDC)
• Focus on Fire Safety: Fireworks (U.S. Fire Administration)
• Troopers Work to Ensure a Safe Fourth of July (AL Department of Public Safety)

Patent and Trademark Seminar

A couple of weeks ago I had the opportunity to attend a patent and trademark seminar for Birmingham-area library staff, held at the Birmingham Public Library (BPL).  While I haven’t exactly had a lot of patent or trademark questions since I arrived here at UA (most are handled by the Rodgers Science and Engineering Library folks), I figured it would be useful to refresh my knowledge.

I found the session to be very interesting, and I learned quite a bit! For instance, there are utility, design, and plant patents. Each of these types have an expiration date – and after that, they go into the public domain; trademarks  (which can be any word, name, symbol, device, or any combination thereof) can be renewed every ten years.  For more info, check out the Patents and Trademarks sections of the USPTO website.

We did sample searches for patents and trademarks on the USPTO website, and the trainer was pretty detailed in terms of the better techniques for searching.  There is a U.S. Patent Classification system in place – every patent that’s issued is placed into a category (ie, we dug down until we found Class 2 – Apparel; Subclass 5 – Firemen’s helmets).   It helps to be able to determine what the patent’s classification is – then you know that you’ll be retrieving all patents (back to 1790).

The trainer also discussed Google’s Patent Search, and how it compares to the PTO’s search engines.  Basically, the data is the same – Google receives the data from the USPTO.  What Google has done is OCR’ed the images so that you can do a keyword search on all of the patents – not just those issued since 1976 (the main problem with keyword searching on the PTO site).

I decided to check out the trademarks registered to the University of Alabama, so I did an owner search.  Turns out that the trademarks are registered to the Board of Trustees of the University of Alabama, which meant that some of the 65 results I retrieved were for UAB and UAH (example: UAH HOCKEY CAPITAL OF THE SOUTH and NOTHING SO CLOSE CAN TAKE YOU SO FAR).  I found two trademarks for Iron Bowl (one for articles of clothing, the other for arranging athletic events) – in this instance, the trademark was registered to both Auburn University and the Board of Trustees of the University of Alabama.  Both of those were cancelled in August of 2008 – and in October of 2008, UA registered another Iron Bowl trademark (without Auburn).

I cannot overemphasize the wealth of information that the USPTO puts on its website – they have taken the time to put up a lot of information for the public.  However, if you have trouble finding what you’re looking for, you can always contact a Patent and Trademark Depository Library for assistance.

EPA Air Pollution Data

Thursday’s Tuscaloosa News contained an article about the high levels of air pollution in Holt.  The data that the conclusion is based on comes from the 2002 National-Scale Air Toxics Assessment (NATA), the purpose of which is “to identify and prioritize air toxics, emission source types and locations which are of greatest potential concern in terms of contributing to population risk.”

The NATA website includes the raw data which can be downloaded, various maps showing carcinogenic and non-carcinogenic areas of the U.S., frequently asked questions, Assessment Methods and Limitations, and more.  As the article points out, the data being used is from 2002 – and there have been changes since then. (Notably, the closing of Empire Coke.)

More information on emissions and air quality can be found on the EPA and the Alabama Department of Environmental Management websites.

Burials being conducted at Veterans’ Cemetery

Last year I posted some information about the Alabama VA National Cemetery that was being built in Montevallo.  The cemetery was open for a Memorial Day ceremony; and this morning the cemetery accepted its first burials.

For more information on scheduling burials in the cemetery, or regulations guiding grave decorations, check out the cemetery’s new page on the VA website.

The Wild Turkey in Alabama

No, I’m not talking about the bourbon, I’m talking about the fowl. The Alabama Department of Conservation and Natural Resources has produced a book entitled “The Wild Turkey in Alabama.”   The book, which is roughly 108 pages long, can be downloaded for free from the agency’s web site.  According to the description, the book “is provided as a tool to assist landowners and land managers in Alabama with the application of habitat enhancement strategies for wild turkey management. In addition, it can be used to guide harvest structures and how to collect harvest data.”  There are chapters on food habits and nutrition, diseases, population control, and more!  It even includes charts that help you determine what crops to plant for wild turkeys (in warm and cool seasons).

Unfortunately I haven’t figured out if it’s possible to purchase a copy of the book – you may want to contact the Division of Wildlife and Freshwater Fisheries for more info. (Tuscaloosa County is in District III, btw.)

Moral Turpitude Update

If you’ve paid any attention to this blog, you may know about my ‘fascination’ with the issue of moral turpitude – and Alabama’s attempts to define it.  Given that the Regular Session of the Legislature has ended, I thought I’d update you on their actions (or inactions) related to moral turpitude.

The four bills I highlighted a few months ago, HB327, HB436, SB168, and SB299, did not pass.  As far as I can tell, nothing has happened in the executive branch either.  So…we continue to be governed by a phrase that’s not defined, legally, in the state.  Think it’ll be cleared up by next year’s gubernatorial election?

Hurricane Season 2009

Today marks the first day of the 2009 hurricane season. To help you prepare, the Alabama Hurricane Center has pulled together resources from across state and federal government – including road closures, Gulf of Mexico radar and satellite views, Alabama weather radio transmitters by county, and information on hurricane severity scales.

If you’re interested in finding out about hurricanes that aren’t close to Alabama, the National Hurricane Center has all kinds of information about hurricane forecasts, satellite views, previous hurricane seasons, etc. I know that I always have to check and see if my name is on the list of hurricane names for a given season – alas, I have to wait until 2012 for the possibility of Hurricane Valerie.

Additional government resources can be found at USA.gov’s Hurricanes’ site. And in case you’re wondering, NOAA forecasters “say a near-normal Atlantic hurricane season is most likely this year.”

George W. Bush Archives

While the papers of George W. Bush, our 43rd President, are still being processed and are not yet available to researchers, historians, and the general public (that won’t be until January 20, 2014), the National Archives has preserved and is making available the WhiteHouse.gov site as it was on his last day in office.

For more information on GWB’s presidential papers and records, visit his Presidential Library website.

Health-e Cards

Did you know that the Centers for Disease Control has e-cards?  Well, they do.  On the CDC website are more than 150 “health-e cards,” on topics ranging from handwashing and the flu to pregnancy and STD awareness.  Some even have music!  Some of the card covers seem to be a bit over-the-top (and yes, there are Valentine’s Day cards), but the inside message is generally helpful – all of them give tips for handling the relevant health topic, either linking to CDC or outside resources.

(fyi, there is also a Spanish version.)