Everything You Need to Know about the Amazing Human Genome Project
On June 26 with British Prime Minister Tony Blair, President Clinton announced that the international Human Genome Project and Celera Genomics Corporation have both completed an initial sequencing of the genetic blueprint for human beings. More than 1,000 researchers across six nations have laid out nearly all 3 billion letters of our genetic code. On this webpage, you'll find documents and a webcast detailing this scientific feat that will revolutionize the diagnosis, prevention and treatment of most human diseases.

Labor of Love: Recycling CD-ROMs Abroad
Matthew Love of Washington State's Department of Transportation teamed up with the Pan American Institute of Highways to recycle obsolete engineering CD-ROMs to countries that are thrilled to get them. It keeps environmentally unfriendly plastic out of landfills and helps transportation departments overseas. Can other organizations use this model?

Online Newsletter Features Reinventing Government Worldwide
The General Services Administration's recent Intergovernmental Solutions online newsletter contains more than 40 articles on reinvention initiatives--many using information technology--in federal agencies, state and local governments, and countries from around the world.

Manitoba Government: A New Vision for Service Delivery
The Manitoba Government in Canada is developing a common technology infrastructure that it can ultimately apply across all government departments. This will mean more comprehensive services in the future.

Track Santa Here
Starting Christmas Eve, you can track Santa's location online as he delivers toys to children over the globe. The tracking program started 44 years ago thanks to the predecessor of the North American Aerospace Defense Command (NORAD) in Colorado Springs, CO. A local store advertised a Santa hotline, but the telephone number printed was that of the Director of Operations for the then Continental Air Defense Command. When Colonel Harry Shoup received the first Santa call, he had his staff check radar data to see if Santa was making his way south from the North Pole. Indeed he was and staff gave updates to the children who called. When the United States and Canada formed NORAD in 1957, the organization continued tracking this important annual airborne mission. This holiday season, volunteers from Cheyenne Mountain and Peterson Air Force Base staff the phone lines, the US Space Command provides satellite information, and private sector organizations pitch in to support the website.

We're Looking for Stories
Federal workers are doing amazing things to deliver government services electronically. Government workers in other nations are doing the same. Access America E-Gov E-Zine is looking for stories about federal agencies, or multi-agency partnerships, that are working with other nations to share information and technologies to improve their services to citizens.

These stories can be short, as in a "byte" of about 150 words, or they can be longer feature stories. Write feature stories in plain language with quotes from agency officials and employees who can describe the benefits of this international exchange of technical information.

Include a contact person with phone number and email address. Send your stories to pat.wood@npr.gov or pat.smith@gsa.gov. If you need more information, call Pat Wood, National Partnership for Reinventing Government, (202) 694-0063. Please pass this request along to others who may be interested.