Number: HARD-001 Description: What kind of legislation has been considered and adopted regarding the H1B Visa? Narrative: Congressional and media discussion, proposals, legislation and reaction regarding the H1B Visa are on topic (including detailed discussions of things like, e.g., raising the cap on the number of H1B visas for a particular year). General discussion of foreign workers in the US, broader INS regulations and other visa types (e.g., student visas) are off topic. item=purpose, value=Details item=genre, value=Overview item=granularity, value=Document item=familiarity, value=3 From Computer World "ABCs & H-1Bs: Living with the new H-1B visa regulations -- in 1999" By JULIA KING MARCH 08, 1999 http://www.computerworld.com/news/1999/story/0,11280,34799,00.html A company must sponsor a particular foreign worker for an H-1B visa. It can't apply for a visa without a specific worker in mind. This year, in addition to raising the cap on visas, Congress also raised their cost significantly. Subsequent to the congressional ruling, known as the Anticompetitive Workforce Improvement Act of 1998, the U.S. Department of Labor also applied a number of new, more stringent H-1B qualifications. These include requiring employers to show that no U.S. worker is available to fill positions for which they want to hire foreign nationals. Congress instituted a $500 fee when it raised the H-1B cap last summer. The money is placed in a fund to finance training programs for American workers. Additionally, employers pay a $110 filing fee plus attorneys' costs. All told, companies estimate the cost of obtaining an H-1B visa under the new regulations will range from $1,300 to $2,500, including attorneys' fees. Virtually every kind of company, from retailers to manufacturers, has applied for and obtained H-1B visas for foreign-born IT workers. During the past few years, however, IT consulting and staffing firms have become particularly dependent on H-1B workers. Number: HARD-002 Description: Why do so many young people lack health coverage, and does the national trend indicate that it's getting better or worse? Narrative: Articles that deal with the reasons young people go without insurance (unemployment, part time employment, poverty) are on topic. More about the (social/community-based) cost of caring for uninsured individuals when they need emergency health care. What are the recourses for a young person? What is the government doing, or what CAN the government do about this issue? Information about the uninsured elderly population is off-topic. item=purpose, value=Details item=genre, value=Any item=granularity, value=Document item=familiarity, value=2 Mirroring the positive change in the total population, the number and proportion of uninsured children declined from 11.1 million (15.4 percent) in 1998 to 10.0 million (13.9 percent) in 1999. For the Census Bureau, children are 18 years old and younger. Other highlights from the report: - Young adults (18 to 24 years old) remained the least likely of any age group to have health insurance coverage, but their chances of having coverage increased by 1 percentage point to 71.0 percent in 1999. - Although the Medicaid program insured 12.9 million poor people during at least a portion of 1999, 10.4 million poor, or 32.4 percent, had no health insurance of any kind during the year. Both the number and percentage of uninsured poor remained unchanged from 1998. - Among those 18 to 64 years old in 1999, full-time workers were less likely than their part-time counterparts to be without health insurance (16.4 percent versus 22.4 percent). However, just under half 47.5 percent of poor full-time workers were uninsured in 1999, not statistically different from the percentage of poor part-time workers without insurance. - Based on comparisons of two-year averages (1998-1999 versus 1997-1998), the proportion of the population without health insurance fell in 15 states and rose in eight others. Number: HARD-003 Description: How do fetal alcohol syndrome and fetal alcohol effect influence adoption processes worldwide? Narrative: Articles concerning the developmental needs of patients with FAS and FAE are on topic. More information about the risks and benefits of adoption of these patients, including profiles of adoptive parents who are best suited to deal with these difficulties. Any information dealing with official acts or laws associated with adoption and FAS/FAE are on topic. Documents concerning additional medical costs are relevant. Sources restricted to the effects on the Native American community are off-topic. item=purpose, value=Background item=genre, value=Overview item=granularity, value=Passage item=familiarity, value=2 Patients with FAS/FAE are at a higher than average risk for physical and sexual abuse and neglect when raised in their families of origin. These children need a supportive, loving home environment with clear guidelines and clear lines of communication in order to develop to their fullest potential. When foster (or adoptive) placement is necessary, the greatest progress is made by calm, low key individuals, who are secure and comfortable with themselves and live stable and predictable lives. Families who treat the FAS child as normally as possible, combining loving acceptance with firm limit setting seem more satisfied than do those who have high performance expectations. Due to their poor social judgment, underdeveloped independent living skills and impaired intellectual functioning, most FAS children will require a structured, sheltered living situation throughout their lives. The most severely affected may require a completely supervised and sheltered environment. For more functional patients, a group home or halfway house for developmentally disabled adults may be appropriate if continued residents with a family is not possible or desirable. NEEDS OF THE CARETAKER The foster or adoptive parent of a child with FAS assumes a responsibility far beyond that normally associated with parenting. The constellation of physical, intellectual, and behavioral characteristics that typifies patients with FAS can create a very demanding situation for any family. The children often require constant supervision. Parents require an extraordinary amount of energy, love, and most of all, consistency. Therefore, these parents need support in their efforts. This support can often be provided by the social service network to help prevent the burnout that often accompanies high-stress parenting situations. Those parenting FAS/FAE children need information about fetal alcohol syndrome in order to understand the physical, intellectual, and behavioral concomitants of the child's diagnosis. Parents must have a realistic view of the child's functioning in order to develop reasonable expectations and plan appropriate interactions for the child in order to minimize management problems. A well-run parent support group set up around the needs of those parenting handicapped children can be an ideal vehicle for parents to share information, gain support, and overcome the feeling of being "the only one" experiencing problems. Many caretakers of children with FAS/FAE will require some form of financial assistance as well. Adoption of FAS patients, as with other special needs children, can mean high costs and low subsidies for families. The recent emphasis on adoption of special needs children has focused on this problem and is attempting to address these issues. An advocacy-oriented caseworker can be an invaluable resource in helping potential foster and adoptive families identify available financial resources and negotiate their way through the maze of paperwork often required. Number: HARD-004 Description: Are more young people smoking now than ten years ago, or have certain factors (such as the rising cost of cigarettes, nascent health concerns, parental second-hand smoke, anti-smoking advertisements) limited the appeal of smoking? Narrative: Information regarding statistical reports of young smokers, in addition to reasons young people may begin smoking are on topic. Anti-smoking propaganda efforts and its perceived effects on the youth market are relevent. Measures the government has taken to curtail youth smoking are on topic. Lawsuits brought against tobacco companies are off-topic. item=purpose, value=Answer item=genre, value=Administrative item=granularity, value=Document item=familiarity, value=2 CDC: Rate of smokers unchanged By Wendy Koch, USA TODAY Despite years of anti-tobacco efforts, the smoking rate among the nation's young adults has risen and the rate of all adults has barely budged this decade, says a government survey published Friday . Officials say the increase among those ages 18 to 24 is mostly the result of growing levels of teen smoking. "As teenagers age, they're taking with them their nicotine addiction," says Michael Eriksen, director of the Office on Smoking and Health at the U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, which conducted the survey . He says the tobacco industry also markets aggressively to young adults because, unlike minors, "they're fair game." The survey of 35,816 adults nationwide was conducted in 1997. The previous one was done in 1995. If it weren't for the rise among young adults, Eriksen says the overall adult smoking rate would have fallen between the two surveys. Instead, it has leveled off this decade, after falling dramatically in the 1970s and 1980s. The USA is not expected to reach its goal of reducing smoking to 15% of adults by 2000. One of four adults reported smoking on a regular basis in 1997, the survey says. The rate was higher for men (28%) than for women (22%). It was much lower (12%) for those who were either college-educated or older than 65. For decades, a smaller share of people ages 18 to 24 smoked than those ages 25 to 44. But in 1997, for the first time, the two groups broke even. Almost 29% of each reported smoking daily or "some" days. Eriksen says the recent smoking increase among young adults possibly signals a long-term shift: "We're very concerned that as time goes on, the progress we've experienced with older adults will be undercut." Most smokers, once addicted, find it difficult to quit - and for those starting at a younger age, the cumulative health damage can be greater, he says. The CDC survey says cigarette smoking is the leading preventable cause of death in the USA. A separate national survey, released last December, showed that smoking among high school students soared during the 1990s. Seniors who said they smoked at least once monthly jumped from 28% in 1991 to almost 37% in 1997, according to the University of Michigan survey . But there was some encouraging news in the latest Michigan study. Last year, for the first time since 1992, the senior smoking rate dipped to 35%. Rates also fell for eighth- and 10th-graders. Number: HARD-005 Description: What factors have caused meat product regulations, such as labeling and inspection, to change since 1990 in the U.S.? Narrative: Any information on product labeling and the definition of such terminology (such as "fresh", "free-range", etc.) is on topic. Stories about batches of recalled meats and the subsequent repercussions are on topic, as well as meat-related governmental measures taken to improve public health (e.g., were they to prohibit the use of Recombinant Bovine Growth Hormone). Animal-protection issues, unless they further restrictions placed on the U.S. meat market, are off-topic. item=purpose, value=Details item=genre, value=Reaction item=granularity, value=Document item=familiarity, value=2 Annotator Whether or not regulations on meat are more stringent due to the threat of bioterrorism. I wonder if the use of steroids and antibiotics in meat is tightly regulated. What does "fresh" mean with regards to meat? Does it differ between species of meats? English; French; Italian 23 Female Number: HARD-008 Description: What are the international aids for the Turkish earthquake disaster? Narrative: In August 17, 1999 an earthquake occurred in Northwest of Turkey. It killed more than 2,000 and injured more than 10,000 people. Our main concern is with the texts that dealt with the massive international relief efforts, as the foreign governments and charity groups. We are neither concerned with the articles dealing with the number of killed or injured people nor with any economic effects as a result of that earthquake. Also we are not anxious to pick any text dealing with the local governmental or popular efforts. item=purpose, value=Details item=genre, value=Overview item=granularity, value=Passage item=familiarity, value=2 NEW YORK, August 19, 1999….The American Jewish Committee announced this morning that it is providing an additional $225,000 to humanitarian organizations for earthquake relief and rescue http://www.charitywire.com/00-00517.htm efforts in Turkey. Today’s donation brings the total AJC contribution to $250,000. http://www.hannibal.net/stories/111599/new_1115990052.html Rescue workers from 23 different countries poured into Turkey and joined thousands of soldiers Sunday in a massive effort to save people believed buried beneath the rubble of Friday's earthquake. The temblor killed at least 374 people and injured 3,000 others. Lead annotator in LDC As my medical education and background, I am intersted to know how is the international efforts can relief pain and save lives. First aid measures and Emergency cases treatment. Arabic; English 52 Male Number: HARD-012 Description: How do the school shootings of 1999 compare to those of previous years? Narrative: The shooting at Columbine High School in Littleton, CO, seemed to be the culmination of a series of school shootings. Is this an entirely new phenomenon in the United States? If not, how does it differ from older cases of school violence? Articles that are restricted to the details of the shooting at Columbine High School are off-topic. item=purpose, value=Details item=genre, value=Overview item=granularity, value=Document item=familiarity, value=2 student I want to know how these school shootings differ from previous instances of school violence and possible reasons for these differences. I'm also interested whether media portrayal of school violence has changed over time (e.g. whether a "feeding frenzy" occurs). None. English; Italian; Spanish 20 Male Number: HARD-014 Description: Did the impeachment of Clinton strictly break down among party lines? Narrative: On-topic information would be voting records of Democrats and Republicans on the impeachment of Clinton. On-topic information would also include speech transcripts of Democrats who voted for impeachment and Republicans who voted against it. Off-topic information would include texts on the Starr investigation and Clinton's affair with Monica Lewinsky. item=purpose, value=Any item=genre, value=Administrative item=granularity, value=Any item=familiarity, value=2 Annotator I really want to know who went "against their party" to vote for or against Clinton's impeachment, and their reasons for doing so. No. English; French 23 Female Number: HARD-015 Description: How does the rising cost of prescription medication affect the elderly community? Narrative: Documents concerning members of the elderly and/or retired community and their ability/inability to afford adequate prescription medication are on-topic. Information regarding why the cost of medication is so high, is on-topic, in addition to the impact this issue has had on the elderly community. Documents dealing with other immuno-compromised communities (i.e., AIDS comm.) are off-topic. item=purpose, value=Details item=genre, value=Any item=granularity, value=Passage item=familiarity, value=2 http://www.house.gov/murtha/health/drugfact.htm The convergence of the two trends described in this report -- growing relianceon prescription drugs by the elderly and mounting costs for those drugs -- is a crisis for America's senior citizens. The elderly already pay a significant portion of prescription drug expenditures out of pocket. Today, many seniors are without any prescription drug coverage. For those fortunate enough to have prescription drug coverage, that coverage is diminishing. Thus, unless seniors are assured of prescription drug coverage through Medicare, many will find that needed medications are unaffordable. Annotator I find it upsetting that requisite medication for the elderly may be unavailable to them due to lack of medical coverage or simply due to the exorbitant cost of the medication. not for this topic English; French; Italian 23 Female Number: HARD-018 Description: How did the 1998 peace settlement in Northern Ireland differ from previous peace efforts in the region? Narrative: Articles comparing the 1973 Sunningdale Agreement to the new peace treaty are on-topic, including the varying strategies and methods of negotiation for both agreements. More about the way this peace settlement was received by both sides of the conflict is on-topic. Information about participants in the peace negotiations (including former President Clinton) is relevant. Documents restricted to incidents of violence in Northern Ireland are off-topic, as are those that deal only with the IRA cease-fire (and not its impact on the current peace treaty). item=purpose, value=Answer Answer: What (if any) legislative initiatives were implemented or backed by the Clinton administrat on in effort to faciliate the peace settlement in Northern Ireland? item=genre, value=Administrative item=granularity, value=Document item=familiarity, value=2 linguist Issues related to post-colonialism are of great interest to me. Specifically, I am interested in the way in which states respond--politically and economically-- to the various issues emerging in the aftermath of colonialism. I am especially interested to know if the sun went down on the British Empire. translation and research English; Farsi 30 Female