Rape statistics - Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia

Rape statistics - Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia

UN Rape Statistics

This list^[17] indicates the number of, and per capita cases of recorded rape. It does not include cases of rape which go unreported, or which are not recorded.^[18] Nor does it specify whether recorded means reported, brought to trial, or convicted. Nor does it take the different definition of rape around the world into account.

According to the American Medical Association (1995), sexual violence, and rape in particular, is considered the most under-reported violent crime.^[4][5]

The most common reasons given by victims for not reporting rapes are the belief that it is a personal or private matter, and that they fear reprisal from the assailant. A 2007 government report in England says "Estimates from research suggest that between 75 and 95 percent of rape crimes are never reported to the police."^[6]

Rape at the national level, number of police-recorded offences

Country/territory	Total count								Rate per 100,000 population
	2003	2004	2005	2006	2007	2008	2009	2010	2003	2004	2005	2006	2007	2008	2009	2010
Kenya		1440	1365	1291	876	735	847			4.1	3.8	3.5	2.3	1.9	2.1
Mauritius	53	40	38	64	77	69	57	51	4.3	3.2	3.0	5.1	6.0	5.4	4.4	3.9
Mozambique		102	64	46	41	47	44			0.5	0.3	0.2	0.2	0.2	0.2
Uganda	537	549	732	750	599	1536	619	709	2.0	2.0	2.6	2.6	2.0	4.9	1.9	2.1
Zimbabwe	3858	4997	4790	4967	4762	3186			30.6	39.7	38.1	39.6	38.2	25.6
Cameroon	451	555	592	580	447				2.7	3.2	3.4	3.2	2.4
Algeria	723	630	376	495	836	812			2.3	1.9	1.1	1.5	2.5	2.4
Egypt	20	21	44	48	63	87			0.0	0.0	0.1	0.1	0.1	0.1
Morocco	618	453	475	1063	1215	1130	1507		2.1	1.5	1.6	3.5	3.9	3.6	4.8
Sudan						1189								2.9
Botswana							1754	1865							88.5	92.9
Lesotho					1797	1878	1777						85.3	88.3	82.7
Swaziland	785	849							72.1	77.5
Guinea					92								1.0
Senegal			301	159	167	416	710	693			2.8	1.4	1.5	3.5	5.9	5.6
Sierra Leone					135	79							2.5	1.4
Bahamas			87	72	135	118	109	78			27.2	22.2	41.1	35.4	32.2	22.7
Barbados							68								24.9
Grenada			23	22	30	31	57	32			22.4	21.4	29.0	29.9	54.8	30.6
Jamaica							695	668							25.5	24.4
Saint Kitts and Nevis							16	15							30.9	28.6
Saint Vincent and the Grenadines		66	87	50	60	36	54	28		60.8	80.0	45.9	55.0	33.0	49.4	25.6
Trinidad and Tobago		305	334	259	317	236	247			23.3	25.4	19.6	23.9	17.7	18.5
Belize			48	44			30	21			17.1	15.3			9.8	6.7
Costa Rica	576	600	543	485			1685		13.8	14.2	12.6	11.1			36.7
El Salvador			1185	1140			756	681			19.6	18.8			12.3	11.0
Guatemala		363	314	289	318	385	401			2.9	2.5	2.2	2.4	2.8	2.9
Mexico		13650	13550	13894	14199	14078	14850	14993		13.0	12.7	12.9	13.0	12.7	13.3	13.2
Nicaragua			1322	1524				1829			24.4	27.7				31.6
Panama *		629	771	792	855	713	809	996		19.8	23.8	24.0	25.5	20.9	23.4	28.3
Argentina			3154	3264	3276	3367					8.2	8.4	8.3	8.5
Bolivia (Plurinational State of)			1137	1137	1437	1596	1989	2587			12.4	12.2	15.2	16.6	20.4	26.1
Chile	1658	1845	1974	2034	1980	2233			10.4	11.4	12.1	12.4	11.9	13.3
Colombia		1188	2627	3347	3379	3380	3540	3149		2.8	6.1	7.7	7.6	7.5	7.8	6.8
Ecuador	1488	1246	1499	1484					11.5	9.4	11.2	10.9
Guyana							62	117							8.2	15.5
Paraguay			387	359							6.6	6.0
Peru	5991	5721	6268	6569	7208	7560	6751		22.3	21.0	22.7	23.6	25.6	26.6	23.5
Suriname	186	223							38.2	45.2
Uruguay	297	327							8.9	9.8
Bermuda	36	43							56.6	67.3
Canada	531	587	565	570	528	490	471	576	1.7	1.8	1.8	1.7	1.6	1.5	1.4	1.7
United States of America	93883	95089	94347	94472	92610	90750	89241	84767	32.2	32.3	31.8	31.5	30.6	29.8	29.0	27.3
Kazakhstan			1583	1584	1514	1298					10.4	10.3	9.8	8.3
Kyrgyzstan	296	278	298	271	300	303	303	314	5.9	5.5	5.9	5.3	5.8	5.8	5.7	5.9
Tajikistan		53	54	56	47	55	36			0.8	0.8	0.9	0.7	0.8	0.5
Turkmenistan	37	36	27	27					0.8	0.8	0.6	0.6
Hong Kong Special Administrative Region of China	70	92	99	96	107	105	136	112	1.0	1.4	1.5	1.4	1.6	1.5	1.9	1.6
Japan	2472	2176	2076	1948	1766	1582	1402	1289	2.0	1.7	1.6	1.5	1.4	1.3	1.1	1.0
Mongolia	386	378	320	314	355	354	332	342	15.5	15.0	12.6	12.2	13.5	13.3	12.2	12.4
Republic of Korea	5899	6321							12.7	13.5
Brunei Darussalam	24	26	24	28					6.9	7.3	6.6	7.6
Philippines	3084	2918	2962	2584	2409	2585	5813		3.7	3.5	3.5	3.0	2.7	2.9	6.3
Singapore	110	103	124	118					2.7	2.5	2.9	2.7
Thailand			5071	5308	5152	4641	4676	4636			7.6	7.9	7.6	6.8	6.8	6.7
Bangladesh			11291	11682							8.0	8.2
India		18233	18359	19348	20737	21467	21397	22172		1.6	1.6	1.7	1.8	1.8	1.8	1.8
Maldives	2	1			5	9			0.7	0.3			1.6	2.9
Nepal			191	210							0.7	0.8
Sri Lanka	1378	1432							7.1	7.3
Armenia	3	9	15	7	5	15	15	11	0.1	0.3	0.5	0.2	0.2	0.5	0.5	0.4
Azerbaijan	49	25	44	35	34	25	35	16	0.6	0.3	0.5	0.4	0.4	0.3	0.4	0.2
Bahrain	19	27	25	17	21	36			2.9	4.0	3.4	2.1	2.3	3.4
Cyprus	32	41	39	29	19	34	27		3.2	4.0	3.8	2.8	1.8	3.2	2.5
Georgia	52	62	141	167	156	100	84	82	1.1	1.4	3.1	3.8	3.5	2.3	1.9	1.9
Israel		1319	1223	1291	1270	1243				20.4	18.5	19.1	18.4	17.5
Jordan			78	110							1.5	2.0
Kuwait		98	108	125	137	120	119			4.5	4.8	5.3	5.6	4.7	4.5
Lebanon			39	19							1.0	0.5
Occupied Palestinian Territory	85	98	105						2.5	2.8	3.0
Oman					132	183							5.2	6.9
Qatar	11	13							1.7	1.8
Syrian Arab Republic	131	97	135	112	125	156			0.7	0.5	0.7	0.6	0.6	0.8
Turkey	1604	1638	1694	1783	1148	1071			2.4	2.4	2.5	2.6	1.6	1.5
United Arab Emirates	44	52	62	72					1.3	1.4	1.5	1.5
Yemen			95	95	125	158	176				0.5	0.4	0.6	0.7	0.8
Belarus	432	386	483	353	336	240	218		4.4	3.9	4.9	3.6	3.5	2.5	2.3
Bulgaria	611	529	403	310	225	262	246	211	7.8	6.8	5.2	4.0	2.9	3.5	3.3	2.8
Czech Republic	646	687	596	530	637	529	480		6.3	6.7	5.8	5.2	6.2	5.1	4.6
Hungary	535	267	264	206	215	214	228	246	5.3	2.6	2.6	2.0	2.1	2.1	2.3	2.5
Poland	2322	2176	1987	2001	1827	1611	1530	1567	6.1	5.7	5.2	5.2	4.8	4.2	4.0	4.1
Republic of Moldova	272	297	280	268	281	306	264	368	7.0	7.8	7.4	7.2	7.7	8.4	7.3	10.3
Romania	983	953	1013	1116	1047	1016	1007		4.5	4.4	4.7	5.1	4.8	4.7	4.7
Russian Federation	8185	8848	9222	8871	7038	6208	5398	4907	5.6	6.1	6.4	6.2	4.9	4.3	3.8	3.4
Slovakia	233	224	200	174	182	152	142		4.3	4.1	3.7	3.2	3.4	2.8	2.6
Ukraine	1048	964	924	993	878	880	758	635	2.2	2.0	2.0	2.1	1.9	1.9	1.7	1.4
Denmark	472	562	475	527	492	396	352		8.8	10.4	8.8	9.7	9.0	7.2	6.4
Estonia	107	121	179	153	122	160	124	81	7.9	9.0	13.3	11.4	9.1	11.9	9.2	6.0
Finland	573	595	593	613	739	915	660	818	11.0	11.4	11.3	11.6	14.0	17.2	12.4	15.2
Iceland	69	51	75	72	87	68	78		23.8	17.4	25.3	23.9	28.5	21.9	24.7
Ireland	370	409	451	371	357	348	377	479	9.2	10.0	10.8	8.8	8.3	8.0	8.5	10.7
Latvia	123	319	251	129	93	100	69	78	5.3	13.8	10.9	5.6	4.1	4.4	3.1	3.5
Lithuania	278	260	265	253	200	164	149	208	8.1	7.6	7.8	7.4	5.9	4.9	4.5	6.3
Norway	706	739	798	840	945	944	998	938	15.5	16.1	17.3	18.0	20.0	19.8	20.6	19.2
Sweden	2235	2261	3787	4208	4749	5446	5937	5960	25.0	25.2	41.9	46.3	51.8	59.0	63.8	63.5
United Kingdom (England and Wales)	13272	14013	14443	13774	12673	13096	15084	15934	25.1	26.4	27.0	25.6	23.4	24.0	27.5	28.8
United Kingdom (Northern Ireland)	364	360	345	447	389	368	422	498	21.4	21.0	20.0	25.7	22.1	20.7	23.6	27.7
United Kingdom (Scotland)	794	900	975	922	908	821	884		15.7	17.7	19.1	18.0	17.7	15.9	17.0
Albania			49	40	41	39	34	24			1.6	1.3	1.3	1.2	1.1	0.7
Andorra					2	2	0	1					2.5	2.4	0.0	1.2
Bosnia and Herzegovina			39	40	44	35	29	46			1.0	1.1	1.2	0.9	0.8	1.2
Croatia	213	165	142	187	162	188	129	141	4.8	3.7	3.2	4.2	3.7	4.3	2.9	3.2
Greece	231	240	177	182	185	232	213	215	2.1	2.2	1.6	1.6	1.6	2.1	1.9	1.9
Italy	2744	3734	4020	4513					4.7	6.4	6.9	7.6
Malta *	11	13	7	17	10	19	12	11	2.7	3.2	1.7	4.1	2.4	4.6	2.9	2.6
Montenegro			8	11							1.3	1.8
Portugal	392	338	365	341	305	314	377	424	3.7	3.2	3.5	3.2	2.9	3.0	3.5	4.0
Serbia			89	115	105	123	111	72			0.9	1.2	1.1	1.2	1.1	0.7
Slovenia	70	87	58	55	97	57	79	63	3.5	4.4	2.9	2.7	4.8	2.8	3.9	3.1
Spain			2140	2102	2530	2437	2051	1578			4.9	4.8	5.7	5.4	4.5	3.4
The former Yugoslav Republic of Macedonia			93	103							4.6	5.0
Austria		687	678	700	710	693	779	875		8.4	8.2	8.5	8.5	8.3	9.3	10.4
Belgium	2850	2944	3029	3194	3232	3126	2953	2991	27.7	28.4	29.1	30.5	30.7	29.5	27.7	27.9
France	10408	10506	9993	9784	10132	10277	10108		17.3	17.3	16.4	15.9	16.4	16.5	16.2
Germany	8766	8831	8133	8118	7511	7292	7314	7724	10.6	10.7	9.9	9.8	9.1	8.8	8.9	9.4
Liechtenstein	0	1	4	2	1	3	0	0	0.0	2.9	11.5	5.7	2.8	8.4	0.0	0.0
Luxembourg				40	44	57						8.6	9.2	11.7
Monaco	1		3	2					2.8		8.5	5.7
Netherlands	1700	1800	2485	2385	2095	1920	1850	1530	10.5	11.1	15.2	14.6	12.7	11.6	11.2	9.2
Switzerland *	547	573	646	639	648	612	666	543	7.5	7.8	8.7	8.6	8.6	8.1	8.7	7.1
Australia	18237								91.9
New Zealand			994	1183	1143	1130	1128	1129			24.0	28.3	27.0	26.4	26.1	25.8
Solomon Islands		170	65	79	61	56				37.2	13.8	16.4	12.3	11.0

Michele Simon: Top 10 Lies Told by Monsanto on GMO Labeling in California

Michele Simon

Public health lawyer

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Top 10 Lies Told by Monsanto on GMO Labeling in California

Posted: 08/22/2012 3:42 pm

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California , Food Politics , Food Safety , Proposition 37 , Fda , Genetically Modified Food ,Gmos , Monsanto , Green News

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The battle in California over Proposition 37, which would require labeling of foods containing GMOs, is really heating up. Millions of dollars are already being poured into the opposition campaign, with much of it going to former Big Tobacco shills.

Over at GMO HQ, Monsanto recently posted thismissive called "Taking a Stand: Proposition 37, The California Labeling Proposal," in which the biotech giant explains why it is opposing the measure (to thetune of $4.2 million so far).

Even for a corporation not exactly known for its honesty and transparency, this brief webpage is riddled with deception and outright falsehoods about the initiative and its proponents. Here are the 10 most blatant examples:

1) The law "would require a warning label on food products."

No warning label would be required. Rather, the words "partially produced with genetic engineering" or "may be partially produced with genetic engineering" would be required on the back of the package -- similar to what is now required for ingredient or allergen labeling. For whole foods, like the sweet corn coming soon to a Walmart near you, a sign would be posted on the store shelf with the words "genetically engineered." The aim is simply to offer consumers additional information about the contents of the foods they purchase.

2) "The safety and benefits of these ingredients are well established."

Unfortunately, no long-term studies exist on either the safety or benefits of GMO ingredients, so Monsanto has no basis for making such a claim. Indeed, the U.S. Food and Drug Administration does not even require safety studies of genetically engineered foods. Meanwhile, someindependent studies raise questions about links to allergies and other potential health risks.

3) "The American Medical Association just re-affirmed that there is no scientific justification for special labeling of bioengineered foods."

This statement, while true, is taken out of context and is misleading because the AMA also (for the first time) called for mandatory premarket safety studies of GMOs. As Consumers Union recently noted in its reaction to AMA's announcement, labeling and testing logically go together:

The AMA's stance on mandatory labeling isn't consistent with its support for mandatory pre-market safety assessments. If unexpected adverse health effects, such as an allergic reaction, happen as a result of GE, then labeling could perhaps be the only way to determine that the GE process was linked to the adverse health effect.

4) Food companies "have had the choice" to use GM ingredients.

Choice is a good thing; however, consumers have never had the choice. Prop 37 will give consumers a long-overdue choice about eating genetically engineered food.

5) "FDA says that such labeling would be inherently misleading to consumers."

Of course FDA refuses to require GMO labeling, thanks to Monsanto's arm-twisting that began more than 20 years ago. Food Democracy Now's Dave Murphy explained the FDA decision in May upon its 20-year anniversary, which came as a result of a broader deregulatory push by the first Bush administration:

Twenty years ago this week, then-Vice President Dan Quayle announced the FDA's policy on genetically engineered food as part of his "regulatory relief initiative." As Quayle explained in the 1992 press conference, the American biotechnology industry would reap huge profits "as long as we resist the spread of unnecessary regulations."

Dan Quayle's 1992 policy announcement is premised on the notion that genetically engineered crops are "substantially equivalent" to regular crops and thus do not need to be labeled or safety tested. The policy was crafted by Michael Taylor, a former Monsanto lawyer who was hired by the Bush FDA to fill the newly created position of deputy commissioner of policy.

Five years earlier, then-Vice President George H.W. Bush visited a Monsanto lab for a photo op with the developers of Roundup Ready crops. According to a video report of the meeting, when Monsanto executives worried about the approval process for their new crops, Bush laughed and told them, "Call me. We're in the dereg businesses. Maybe we can help."

Call they did. It's typical for corporations to get their policy agenda approved through back-channel lobbying and revolving door appointments and then point to the magical policy outcome as evidence of scientific decision-making.

6) "Consumers have broad food choices today, but could be denied these choices if Prop 37 prevails."

There is no basis in logic that consumers could be denied food choices. Indeed, Proposition 37 actually broadens the meaningful food choices available through greater transparency. Right now, people are eating in the dark.

7) "Interestingly, the main proponents of Proposition 37 are special interest groups and individuals opposed to food biotechnology who are not necessarily engaged in the production of our nation's food supply."

In fact, quite a large number of food producers, farmers and others very much "engaged in the production of our nation's food supply" support the campaign. (See the growing list of endorsements.) Speaking of "special interest groups" wouldn't that label apply to the likes of Monsanto and all the industrial food producers who oppose Proposition 37?

8) "Beneath their right to know slogan is a deceptive marketing campaign aimed at stigmatizing modern food production."

"Modern food production" -- is that Monsanto's latest euphemism for scientifically altering the genetic code of the food supply? In truth, nothing is hidden "beneath" the Right to Know campaign, that's all it's about. But because Monsanto has no good argument for why consumers don't have the right to know how their food is produced, it has to resort to distracting deceptions.

9) "[Proponents] opinions are in stark contrast with leading health associations."

Another look at the long list of Prop 37 endorsements reveal that Monsanto and friends are actually out of step with leading health associations, such as:

• American Public Health Association


• American Medical Students Association


• American Academy of Environmental Medicine


• Physicians for Social Responsibility, California chapters


• California Nurses Association

10) "The California proposal would serve the purposes of a few special interest groups at the expense of the majority of consumers."

Again, logic defies this talking point, especially since all polling indicates a "majority of consumers" want GMO food to be labeled. Indeed, the most recent California poll shows the proposition winning by a 3-to-1 margin. No wonder Monsanto has to resort to such nonsensical talking points.

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Home Models Engines Accessories Parts FAQ / Videos About Us

Type Gas  Tires  6" Go-Active  Colors

Sport The original California Go-Ped® has been in production for the past 25 years and the model that push started the powered scooter industry. The extremely rugged and sturdy Sport model has only been refined over the years and was designed to create a simple, economical, portable, and fuel-efficient form of personal transportation. With a simple direct drive transmission that improves the power delivery to the rear wheel helps keep moving parts, size, and weight of the Sport to a minimum while increasing the efficiency makes the versatility of the Sport appeal to commuters and fun lovers of all ages. With over 25 years of being in production there is a seemingly endless combinations of aftermarket parts available for the person that loves to tinker. Operation is easy with the simple push start capability, just push and Go, stop and fold the bars for carry and you can take the Sport with you anywhere. Specifications   Photos   Videos   Documents   Misc.  Open tab links in browser window instead.

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Julia's Best-Ever Brownies

Julia's (Childs) Best-Ever Brownies (adapted from 'Baking with Julia' with Dorie Greenspan)
Ingredients:
1 1/4 cups sifted all-purpose flour
1 teaspoon salt
8 ounces unsalted butter

4 ounces unsweetened chocolate, coarsely chopped
2 ounces bittersweet chocolate, coarsely chopped
2 cups sugar
1 teaspoon pure vanilla extract
4 large eggs, room temperature

Directions:
1. Put a rack in the center of the oven and pre-heat to 350 degrees.
2. Sift together the flour and salt; set aside.
3. Melt the butter and all of the chocolate together the in the microwave in a large bowl.
4. Add one cup of the sugar to the chocolate-butter mixture and stir for 30 seconds. Stir in the vanilla.
5. Mix the remaining sugar and the four eggs in an electric mixer bowl for a few seconds until just combined.
6. Little by little, pour half of the sugar-egg mixture into the chocolate mixture, stirring gently but constantly with a rubber spatula so that the eggs don't set from the heat.
7. Whip the remaining sugar and eggs in the electric mixer until they are thick, pale, and doubled in volume, about three minutes.
8. Using the rubber spatula, gently fold the whipped eggs into the chocolate mixture.
9. When the eggs are almost completely incorporated, gently fold in the dry ingredients.
10. Pour and scrape the batter into an unbuttered 9-inch square baking pan.
11. Bake the brownies for 22-26 minutes, they should rise a little and the top will look dark and dry.
12. Make a small cut in the the center of the brownies after about 22 minutes to check for doneness. They'll be perfect if they are just barely set and still gooey.
13. Remove from oven and cool in the pan on a rack before cutting.

http://shine.yahoo.com/shine-food/julia-child-8217-perfect-brownies-202400378.htmlJulia'

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Curiosity Lands On Mars: 10 Amazing Facts - Government - Mobile & Wireless - Informationweek
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NASA's Mars rover so far has performed flawlessly on one of the most delicate space missions yet. Here's a quick look at what makes Curiosity's work so amazing.

By Patience Wait,  InformationWeek 

August 07, 2012

URL: http://www.informationweek.com//news/government/mobile/240005059

Curiosity's Mars Mission
(click image for larger view and for slideshow)

More that eight months after taking off from Cape Canaveral, NASA's Curiosity rover landed on Mars over the weekend to begin a two-year mission exploring and probing the Red Planet.Curiosity already is sending back its first grainy black-and-white images of Mars, taken through the fish-eye lens of its hazard-avoidance cameras. And NASA on Monday released a photograph taken from its High Resolution Imaging Science Experiment on board the Mars Reconnaissance orbiter as the rover drifted downward, suspended by a parachute, on its last leg of the flight. 

When Curiosity landed on Mars on Monday, Aug. 6, NASA administrator Charles Bolden referred to it as a "harrowing landing" and President Obama called it "an unprecedented feat of technology." Following are 10 facts that help explain why the occasion was so historic.

1. After 36 weeks in space, Curiosity touched down within one minute of schedule. NASA put the official landing time on Mars' surface as 1:32 a.m. Eastern Daylight Time on Aug. 6, one minute later than the time the space agency estimated months ago.

[Read about Microsoft's contribution to Mars' exploration. NASA, Microsoft Reveal Mars In Pictures.]

2. Curiosity landed on target, at the foot of a mountain three miles tall and 96 miles across inside the Gale Crater. NASA originally had set a landing target that was 12 miles wide by 16 miles long. But the space agency, citing increased confidence in its landing technology, in June reset its goal on a target area half that size.

3. NASA employed a relay system to receive confirmation of the landing. The direct line of communications was obstructed by the Earth's horizon as the landing craft approached Mars' surface. So, the Mars Odyssey orbiter, which had been repositioned a few weeks ago to better monitor the landing, relayed confirmation to the space agency's Deep Space Network antenna station in Canberra, Australia, which in turn relayed the news to the Jet Propulsion Laboratory in California.

4. The rover returned its first view of Mars, a wide-angle scene of rocky ground near the front of the rover, just minutes after landing (see photo below). At a 9 a.m. PDT press conference, scientists said their first surprise was "the rather uniform grain size of the coarser particles" seen in the image. When Curiosity deploys its mast later in the week, the cameras positioned there will begin to transmit high-resolution images in color. The rover has 17 cameras in all.

Credit: NASA/JPL-Caltech

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5. Curiosity changed speed as it entered the final stage of its journey, speeding up, then slowing down. The spacecraft approached Mars at 8,000 miles per hour, then, when it hit the top of Mars' atmosphere, gravity pulled it in at about 13,200 mph. With its "sky crane" landing technique, the rover slowed to 1.7 mph. as it touched down.

6. Weather was good for Curiosity's descent, despite the threat of a dust storm."Mars is cooperating by providing good weather for landing," Ashwin Vasavada, the deputy project scientist for Curiosity, said as the rover approached its destination.

7. Curiosity, the size of an SUV, was lowered in a delicate sequence of events by thruster rockets, a 51-foot-wide parachute, and nylon chords.

8. At this point, scientists don't know where the lander--the jetpack that lowered Curiosity to the surface--crashed. As soon as the lander released the rover, rocket thrusters moved it far away from the science mission, to keep it from contaminating the rover's surroundings.

9. Curiosity carries 10 science instruments, some of them being used for the first time on a Mars mission, such as a laser-firing instrument that can check the elemental composition of rocks from a distance. It will use a drill and scoop at the end of a robotic arm to gather soil and rock interiors, then move the samples to its lab instruments.

10. NASA puts the cost of the Curiosity mission at $2.5 billion, which includes spacecraft development, science investigations, and the cost of launch and operations.

The Office of Management and Budget demands that federal agencies tap into a more efficient IT delivery model. The new Shared Services Mandate issue of InformationWeek Government explains how they're doing it. Also in this issue: Uncle Sam should develop an IT savings dashboard that shows the returns on its multibillion-dollar IT investment. (Free registration required.)

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