Science R&D Spending in the Federal Budget

Federal funding for basic science, including stem-cell research and climate-change initiatives, could hinge on what happens in the new House of Representatives, which will be controlled by the Republicans. However, if the past is any guide, dollars allocated for science will transcend both politics and the economy. Here's a look at science funding over the years made by Karl Tate from livescience.com.

via www.livescience.com

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Gulf Life

The largest U.S. oil discoveries in decades lie in the depths of the Gulf of Mexico--one of the most dangerous places to drill on the planet. Louisiana’s wetlands are resilient and have bounced back before. But no one knows how long this recovery will take.

via ngm.nationalgeographic.com
(click above link to see an interactive graphics; click each layer to see in depth details)

What a Hundred Million Calls to 311 Reveal About New York

The 3-1-1 non-emergency telephone number in many communities in the United States that provides quick, easy-to-remember access to non-emergency municipal services or a Citizen Service Center. Dialing this number allows city residents (only in certain cities) to obtain important non-emergency services through a central, all-purpose phone number quickly and effectively.

As useful as 311 is to ordinary New Yorkers, the most intriguing thing about the service is all the information it supplies back to the city. Each complaint is logged, tagged, and mapped to make it available for subsequent analysis. In some cases, 311 simply helps New York respond more intelligently to needs that were obvious to begin with. Holidays, for example, spark reliable surges in call volume, with questions about government closings and parking regulations. On snow days, call volume spikes precipitously, which 311 anticipates with recorded messages about school closings and parking rules.

There were 34,522 complaints called in to 311 between September 8 and September 15, 2010. Here are the most common, plotted by time of day.

Illustration: Pitch Interactive
via www.wired.com

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The Recession Timeline Diorama: 2007 – 2010

The Great Recession is now history — much as its recently-announced end took us by surprise. At 18 months, from December 2007 through June 2009, it is the longest since World War 2. So mint.com decided to take a look at the major events of the past three years. For the highlights, see our infographic — the Recession Timeline Diorama.

via www.mint.com

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The Business of Horror

Halloween is one of America’s biggest revenue-generating holidays. And get this: the tradition thrived even during the spooky economy of the past couple of years. Costume sales jumped 5.1% in 2008 and another 2.4% in 2009.

In this infographic, mint.com explore the economics of Halloween: read on, some of the stats may give you chills!

via www.mint.com

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The Economics of Halloween

Do Americans like candy? They like it to the tune of $20 billion a year! That's right- Americans spend $20 billion on their sweet little vices. They're out there night and day buying candy bars, chocolates, hardy candy and everything else that packs in the sugar.

via www.creditloan.com

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