New home sales fell to a record low as outlined by a report that was done by the Commerce Department released June 23. A slide in new home sales statistics was expected after the home buyer tax credit expired at the end of April. But the 32.7 percent drop in May was a lot more than expected. Existing home sales also dropped, as forecasters expected them to rise. Unemployment is the main reason the housing market is flagging without the tax credit. Sharp declines within the housing market are threatening the fitful U.S. economic recovery.

Article Source: New home sales fall to record low in May after tax credit expires

New home sales - a new low

New home sales had surged in March and April as homebuyers hurried to purchase homes before the April 30 deadline for the tax credit. Homebuyers have until June 30 to close the deals for the home tax credit, but the Senate might just vote to push that deadline back until Sept. 30. CNNMoney.com reports the May decline of 32.7 percent is there to represent a drop to 300,000 homes from 446,000 in April. Sales fell 18.3 percent. The Commerce Department explained that the May figures are the slowest sales pace given that it began tracking home sales statistics in 1963. The prior record was set in September 1981, when new homes sold at an annual rate of 338,000.

Consumer spending takes a hit

Dear Colleague:

Intramis.net is a website dedicated to serving the community of interest around quantitative measurement and analysis of the information society. It is designed to provide convenient access to relevant information resources, and to serve as a place for sharing information and communicating (through a discussion list) with like-minded colleagues. This is to invite your participation.

This invitation is being mailed to researchers, scholars, consultants, and government experts from around the world, most of whom have evidenced some interest in this field. If you are not interested, you do not need to do anything – simply do not register. You will not receive any further mailings. Only those who register will be added to the discussion list. If you think this initiative may be useful to you, you can join the list by registering at http://lists.intramis.net/listinfo.cgi/intramis-intramis.net .

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The Intramis website contains links to many of the major reports and studies in the field which have come to our attention (see http://www.intramis.net/?q=node/11/), as well as a bibliography of earlier works, and some selected papers. We would be happy to consider adding links and/or papers/readings you submit to the site. The goal is to make it a shared resource for interested parties. It will soon be expanded to include a section on the relevant literature of “data-based” policy making.

The discussion list and website at this time are “beta” versions, subject to change based on your comments and suggestions. We are targeting the final version for September. In the meantime, the discussion list is available for your use without the intervention of the website’s managers.

Penn State, Michigan State and Rutgers Universities and the Beijing University of Posts and Telecommunications, in cooperation with the New America Foundation, will hold an Experts Workshop, “Beyond Broadband Access: Data-Based Information Policy for a New Administration” at the Foundation’s new headquarters in Washington, D.C., September 22-24, 2009.

Information about the program can be found at: http://www.newamerica.net/events/2009/beyond_broadband_access/.

This website will shortly be updated with the initial program and participants. The Workshop is accepting submissions (Abstracts) for participation until April 30.

If you have any questions, please contact me directly at rdt4@psu.edu. This is promising to be a very interesting event. Stay tuned!

Following TPRC (TPRC paper can be downloaded here: http://www.intramis.net/TPRC_files/TPRC%2008%20Taylor-Zhang%20Final.pdf) in September, there was an Experts' Workshop in Beijing on “Measuring/Bridging the Digital Divide”, hosted by the Beijing University of Posts and Telecommunications, and featuring three “foreign experts”, i.e., myself, Prof. Heather Hudson of the University of San Francisco, and Dr. Prabir Neogi of the Government of Canada. It was organized by Prof. Zhang Bin, a professor at the BUPT.

A background paper was prepared for the meeting, in English and Chinese, which can be accessed here:
http://www.intramis.net/bupt_file/BUPT%20Background.pdf),
along with a copy of my presentation:
http://www.intramis.net/bupt_file/BUPT%20Beijing%20presentation_Taylor.p...,
and Doctor Neogi's presentation:
http://www.intramis.net/bupt_file/BUPT%20Beijing%20presentation_Neogi.pd...
the event’s program can be accessed here:

I would like to announce some changes and updates to the Intramis portal. Our founding co-organizer of Intramis, Prof. Jorge Schment, has relocated from Penn State to Rutgers University, where he is now Dean of the School of Information, Communication and Library Science. Prof. Schement has been followed as co-Director of the Penn State Institute for Information Policy by Prof. Amit Schejter of Penn State.

The Intramis portal for information metrics studies is in the process of being updated. New links have been added to papers and reports appearing online up to August 2008. The bibliography has been updated through August 2008. If you would like to propose any additions to the links or bibliography, please forward them to me.

I am new to intramis, invited by Michel Menou. I spend time these days as an editor on the Development Gateway and an office of Americans for UNESCO.

Does everyone know the Science, Technology and Economic Policy Board of the National Academy of Sciences?

They are interested in our topic, and last year published "Enhancing Productivity Growth in the Information Age: Measuring and Sustaining the New Economy"

The Intramis website invites submissions by users regarding events, publications, research projects or other material of interest which can be shared with other users and reasonably relates to the theme of the website.

Suggestions and comments are also invited on how to make the website more useful, collegial and collaborative. It is intended to be a resource for users, and a platform for sharing among those with a common interest in understanding the information society.

Welcome to the Web home of the International Network of Researchers for Appropriate Measures of the Information Societies, or "Intramis".

This website is intended to serve as a resource for researchers and practitioners in the field of measurements of the key features of information societies. Our goal is to contribute to the on-going efforts at improving our understanding of the inner dynamics of the "information societies" with special attention to coherent and effective theories and methodologies whether quantitative or qualitative.

This site is under development. You will find an extensive bibliography on the topic, as well as links to papers and to other related websites.

We encourage you to interact with us and to contribute ideas and suggestions to make this website more useful.