Day 8

71 - Gone with the wind: Loans to Rhode Island businesses – (RI) $3.4 million - The city of Providence, Rhode Island, uses HUD funds to make risky loans, and now 25 percent are delinquent.

72 - Electric vehicle tax credit increases the deficit without decreasing emissions – (Taxes) $74 million - A federal electric vehicle tax credit is not leading to a decrease in gasoline and greenhouse gas emissions, according to the Congressional Budget Office.

73 - Smuttynose brewery gulps down taxpayer dollars for sewage connections – (NH) $750,970 - A New Hampshire brewery received HUD funds to install sewer connections and buy brewing equipment.

74 - So you think you can dance? Dancing robot serves as an iPhone DJ – (GA) $547,430 - Using an NSF grant, researchers create a mini-robot that can dance to music from a smartphone. They are looking to sell the robot for about $200 each.

75 - Healthy Food Financing Initiative pursues ineffective strategy – (Department of the Treasury; Department of Health and Human Services) $32 million - Treasury and HHS are financing an initiative to get food in corner markets, although such strategies have been shown to be ineffective to increase healthy eating.

76 - Exploring the nature of happiness with a philosophy booth – (NM) $24,995 - A National Endowment for the Humanities grant will fund a college class about happiness, during which students will set up a "philosophy booth" on campus.

77 - Antarctica science dollars go to anything but research – (Antarctica) $20.5 million - NSF funding for the US Antarctic Research Program goes primarily to support services, only 20 cents of every dollar go to research. Improvements could be made, expert panel says.

78 - Potato chip pork – (NY) $49,990 - USDA gives grant to famed New York potato chip manufacturer to make a website and print brochures.

79 - Duplicate magazine preservation – (OK; RI) $270,000 - Tulsa University and Brown University will use federal funds to digitize old magazines, most of which are already available for free online.

80 - Flat tire: Agriculture Department awards grant to billion-dollar tire company – (OH) $6.9 million - USDA awarded a grant to Cooper Tire to develop a next-generation tire, though private sector research is already underway.