This Week's Facts:
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INDOT Encourages Hoosiers to
Know Before You Go
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CDC Offers Tips for Healthy
Campus Living
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Newspaper Teaches Kids
American History
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Kennedy Center Honors Artists at
Annual Gala
USGS Celebrates 125 Years
of Topographic Mapping
 This
year marks the
125th anniversary of the
U.S. Geographical Survey (USGS) topographical map program. The
USGS has been the primary civilian mapping agency in the country
since 1879, although mapping efforts have been around since the
earliest formation of the nation. The most commonly known map
is the 1:24,000-scale map, also known as the 7.5-minute
quadrangle
topographic map. The
series set out to cover the entire area of the United States in
detail. It was completed in 1992 and was replaced by
The
National Map, a collaborative effort between the
USGS and other federal, state and local agencies.
New
US Topo maps are available
digitally and are arranged in the traditional 7.5-minute
format. Viewers can add and remove data layers, zoom in and out
and even print the maps in usable formats. These maps have a
variety of uses, whether one wants them for recreational
purposes or even emergency response. For an interesting history
of topographic mapping in the United States, be sure to check
out this
timeline from the USGS.
The website also provides historic
photographs detailing
mapping projects in the West.
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Friday Facts is a production of the Indiana State Library
Friday Facts Editorial Team:
Katharine Springer
State Data
Center Coordinator
Elisabeth
O’Donnell
Federal Documents Librarian
&
Kim Brown-Harden
State
Documents Coordinator
-------------------------------------
Join the
FDLP-IN
listserv
to get the latest
government information
  |
 The
holidays are the perfect time for families and friends to
celebrate and enjoy time spent together, but it can be very
hectic if you’re traveling by car. The
Indiana Department of Transportation’s
TrafficWise program helps to improve safety and help drivers
across Indiana’s highways avoid traffic congestion. TrafficWise
has been expanded to include updated reports for all State
roads, U.S. highways and Interstates around the state. Travelers
can check construction projects, accidents, and other travel
headaches
online or by calling
1-800-261-ROAD (7326). Real-time traffic data and cameras are
available for the
Indianapolis Metropolitan area,
Northwest Indiana near Gary,
and
Southern Indiana and the Louisville area.
While you’re traveling, remember to check the large Dynamic
Message Signs that will alert you to traffic events and , if
necessary, plan an alternate route. Enjoy the holidays with
safe travel and know before you go!
CDC Offers Tips
for Healthy Campus Living
 Visit
the Centers for Disease Control’s
Family Health: College Health and Safety
website for advice on how to help students stay healthy during
college. Review valuable tips such as getting regular physical
activity, eating a balanced diet, thinking positively, getting
vaccinations and check-ups, and developing friendships. Preview
the kinds of issues that happen when college students are away
from home, often for the first time: Eating disorders and Diet
changes, Fatigue and Sleep Deprivation, Mental Health (Stress,
Anxiety, Depression), Relationships & Sexual Violence, Substance
Abuse (Alcohol, Drugs, Tobacco), and STDs. There are also many
related links on the right side of the webpage, including a
College Health Podcast and Spring Break health tips. Encourage
your colleagues, friends, and family to pay attention to
college-age issues and feel free to direct them to the list of
hotlines at the bottom of the webpage.
More from the CDC
The Centers for Disease Control also provides a
Health Data Interactive website with tables of
national statistics on infants, children, adolescents, adults,
and older adults. Use the
Getting Started resource for an orientation to locating
and working with tables online as well as offline. The data
available comes from a wealth of sources including the Census
Bureau’s Current Population Survey, National Health Interview
Survey, and Population Estimates Program; and the National Vital
Statistics System.
Newspaper
Teaches Kids American History
 The
U.S. Department of the Interior’s Bureau of Land Management
website has a
History Mystery Examiner
newspaper and website to help kids explore the history of
public lands. Enjoy The Mystery of Butch and Sundance, The
Mystery of the First Americans, The Ghost Town Mysteries, and
Mysterious Lighthouses and Light Beacons. Each history mystery
contains a case file. As it is “opened,” you try to answer Case
File Questions about each topic. Each file contains clues about
where to go in the History Mystery Examiner newspaper to find an
answer. What was it like to live during the Pliestocene? To find
out, request a copy of Volume 2 of the Examiner, The Mystery of
the First Americans, using this
online form. In addition,
you can “open” the online case file. Find educational
opportunities like
Have you seen a 10,000 bill?
inside the Butch and Sundance case file, which shows an image of
the bill and encourages readers to solve its own mystery.
Kennedy Center
Honors Artists at Annual Gala
On December 5, 2009, five American artists
will receive the
Kennedy Center honors for
2009: Mel Brooks, composer Dave Brubeck, opera singer Grace
Bumbry, Robert De Niro and Bruce Springsteen. Each year, a
different group of artists is chosen to receive this award and a
gala is held in their honor. The individuals are chosen based
on their “lifetime contributions to American culture through the
performing arts.” The type of art is not important – recipients
can be musicians, actors, or dancers. Past winners include
Aretha Franklin, Alan Alda and Yo-Yo Ma. In addition to the
honor of the award itself, winners are able to nominate new
recipients in successive years. The Kennedy Center Board of
Trustees is also responsible for nominating people. The
recipients will receive their awards on Saturday, December 5 at
a State Department dinner hosted by Secretary of State Hillary
Clinton. The 32nd-Annual Gala in honor of the recipients will
take place at the Kennedy Center Opera House and will be
broadcast on CBS at 9:00 EST on Sunday, December 6. |
