Time just flew by so quickly and January is already over. I would like to thank the FGI folks for giving me the wonderful opportunity. I really enjoyed being the BOTM.

President Obama signed the Lily Ledbetter Fair Pay Act of 2009 yesterday to ensure equal pay for all, which guarantees that there will be discrimination on the basis on gender, age or race. The remarks of the President are available on the White House website. There is also a short video clip on the site. The full text of the law is available for public review. Ideas, thoughts, and comments from the public are invited.

The National Security Archive has released a new guide, Effective FOIA Requesting for Everyone. Its aim is to provide “comprehensive overview of how to obtain documents from federal executive branch agencies.” It is divided into six chapters and all of them are available online in PDF format.

Here is an interesting news analysis from The New York Times on whether nationalization or partial-nationalization of the American banking system is a good idea. The pros and cons are discussed in detail. The transcript of George Stephanopoulos' interview with Nancy Pelosi is available from ABC News. She discusses the GOP stimulus proposals and also talks about recovery plans for banks.

President Obama has launched a new website, Recovery.Gov that people can use to see how their tax money is being spent. He stated that it is “an unprecedented effort to root out waste, inefficiency, and unnecessary spending in our government.” As of now, there is not much on the website but be sure to check it out after the passing of the American Recovery and Reinvestment Act. To learn more about it, read his weekly address that he delivered on January 24.

I came across Ranking America this evening. It provides information on the United States. Particularly, it compares America with other countries and also ranks it in terms of issues such as education, economy, environment etc. The information on this website has been compiled by Mark Rice, a professor of American Studies in a college in New York.

A new group called the TIGR (Technology, Innovation and Government Reform) Team has been started by the Obama Administration. A recent article in Government Technology states that this group "is dedicated to fostering innovation within government." A link is provided to the YouTube video in which Vivek Kundra, the CTO of Washignton, D.C., and a member of the TIGR group discusses how this innovation would help to improve the efficiency of government programs.

The Obama administration is hosting an Open House Reception at the White House today. Those who would like to be there on the President’s first day can sign up for the reception using this form. The website states that this is an initiative to inform the public that the new administration “will be one of the most open and accessible administrations in our nation's history.”

Yesterday, President Obama issued orders to halt the pending Guantanamo trials for 120 days. This would temporarily stop the proceedings of the remaining twenty-one cases. Obama has guaranteed that he will close the Guantanamo prison camp. As the trials will be suspended until May 20, the new administration would have some time to assess the cases. At present, there are 245 foreign prisoners held at the prison camp. If you like to read the full article, it is available in The New York Times.

Recently, Human Rights Watch “called upon the new administration to ensure the rights of detainees at Guantanamo who have been slated for release but who cannot be returned home for fear of torture or persecution.” In November 2008, the organization published a briefing paper, Fighting Terrorism Fairly and Effectively: Recommendations for President-Elect Barack Obama, which outlined eleven steps that the new administration should take to change the counterterrorism practices of the United States.

Today, Barack Obama was sworn in the 44th President of the United States. The White House has a new website now and it is expected that this will serve as a place for “online engagement” with American citizens and the global community. It has been stated that the efforts of the new media will focus on a) Communication b) Transparency and c) Participation
Those who wish to know more about the economy, national security, etc. can get information and updates from the briefing room. They can subscribe to the WhiteHouse.gov blog or get e-mail updates. President Obama has pledged that he will publish “executive orders and proclamations for everyone to review, and that’s just the beginning of [his] efforts to provide a window for all Americans into the business of the government.” The President’s policy priorities are available online. He has also promised to ensure that American citizens participate in the work of the new administration. The White House is inviting comments, concerns, questions, etc. If you have any, please use this form online. Now is your chance!

Personally, I am very happy to witness one of the most significant turning points and a new chapter in American history – the inauguration of the nation’s first African-American President. Today, the United States has really upheld the values of democracy and freedom.

As I was compiling a list of reports from the Pew Research Center for an undergraduate class, I came across two that I would like to share with you. The first one, America's Pre-Inauguration Mood: Strong Confidence in Obama, shows that Americans have great confidence in Obama’s capacity to deal with the economy, Iraq, and terrorism issues. They also believe that Democrats and Republicans will work together to resolve the country’s problems. According to the Pew Survey Report, 70% of those who were surveyed think that Obama has clearly explained his policies and plans for the future, and 66% endorse his choices for his cabinet.

While Obama’s ratings have gone up, Bush’s have gone down. The Pew Research Center article reveals that 24% of Americans approve his performance as he exits the national stage. Only 11% think that history will look at Bush positively. The Conference Board Consumer Confidence Index sunk to 38% in 2008 from 128.6% in 2000. The article claimed that it is the “lowest level since the index was first tabulated in 1967.”

For detailed information on the 2009 Presidential Inauguration, take a look at this website. An Inaugural Events Calendar is also available. You can track the inauguration ceremony using Twitter and Facebook or watch the Inauguration's Channel on YouTube. The Presidential Inaugural Committee even has photostream for the event on Flickr.

The National Security Archive has released a new set of declassified documents that focus on the Iranian Nuclear Program from 1974-1978. These documents show that during the 1970s the Shah of Iran claimed that his country had a right to pursue nuclear technology and that both the Ford and Carter administrations were concerned that it might lead to the production of nuclear weapons.

Yesterday, the House voted on the expansion of the Children’s Health Care Bill with the support of Barack Obama. This bill will increase the coverage of insurance to 4 million uninsured children. It is expected that Obama will sign it within a few days after taking office and then, the Senate might act on it soon. According to the news article, the bill has a provision that would permit states to reinstate the health insurance benefits of legal immigrants. At present, legal immigrants have a five-year waiting period (after their initial entry into the U.S.) before they can take advantage of Medicaid and the State Children’s Health Insurance Program.

Today, New York Times reported that the Wiretapping Program will be legalized by a federal intelligence court. It will authorize both the president and Congress to monitor overseas phone calls and e-mail messages without a court order, although this may include Americans’ personal communications. The report states that “in validating the government’s wide authority to collect foreign intelligence, it may offer legal credence to the Bush administration’s repeated assertions that the president has constitutional authority to act without specific court approval in ordering national security eavesdropping.”