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May 15, 2012
* New GAO Reports: Congressional Award Foundation, Unemployed Older Workers, Warfighter Support
  • Financial Audit - Congressional Award Foundation's Fiscal Years 2011 and 2010 Financial Statements - GAO-12-682, May 15, 2012 Economic Development
  • HUD Has Identified Performance Measures for Its Block Grant Programs, but Information on Impact Is Limited - GAO-12-575R, May 15, 2012
  • State Partnership Program - Improved Oversight, Guidance, and Training Needed for National Guard's Efforts with Foreign Partners, GAO-12-548, May 15, 2012
  • Unemployed Older Workers - Many Experience Challenges Regaining Employment and Face Reduced Retirement Security, GAO-12-445, Apr 25, 2012
  • Unemployed Older Workers - Many Face Long-Term Joblessness and Reduced Retirement Security, GAO-12-724T, May 15, 2012
  • Warfighter Support - Army Has Taken Steps to Improve Reset Process, but More Complete Reporting of Equipment and Future Costs Is Needed, GAO-12-133, May 15, 2012
Permanent Link        Topic(s): Government Documents
* FTC Approves Final Settlement with CVS Caremark

News release: "Following a public comment period, the FTC has accepted as final an order with CVS Caremark settling charges that it misrepresented the prices of certain Medicare Part D prescription drugs, including drugs used to treat breast cancer symptoms and epilepsy, at CVS and Walgreens pharmacies. The settlement bars deceptive claims related to Medicare Part D drug prices and requires CVS Caremark to pay $5 million to reimburse affected Medicare Part D consumers for the price discrepancy. The FTC will mail redress checks to eligible consumers when records have been fully processed. Consumers do not need to take any additional action in order to receive their check."

Permanent Link        Topic(s): Legal Research
* EPIC - FAA Revises Drone License Procedures, Privacy Petition Still Pending

EPIC: "The Federal Aviation Administration has announced new procedures for government agencies that operate drones in the United States. The procedures will streamline the process through which government agencies, including local law enforcement, receive drone licenses. However, the FAA has so far failed to establish privacy safeguards for drone use. On February 24, 2012, EPIC, joined by over 100 organizations, experts, and members of the public, submitted a petition to the FAA requesting a public rulemaking on the privacy impact of drone use in US airspace. For more information, see EPIC: Unmanned Aerial Vehicles (UAVs) and Drones."

* Immigration of Foreign Nationals with Science, Technology, Engineering, and Mathematics (STEM) Degrees

CRS - Immigration of Foreign Nationals with Science, Technology, Engineering, and Mathematics (STEM) Degrees, Ruth Ellen Wasem, Specialist in Immigration Policy, May 11, 2012

  • The number of full-time graduate students in science, engineering, and health fields who were foreign students (largely on F-1 nonimmigrant visas) grew from 91,150 in 1990 to 148,923 in 2009, with most of the increase occurring after 1999. Despite the rise in foreign student enrollment, the percentage of STEM graduate students with temporary visas in 2009 (32.7%) was comparable to 1990 (31.1%). Graduate enrollments in engineering fields have exhibited the most growth of the STEM fields in recent years."
  • Permanent Link        Topic(s): Government Documents
    * CRS - Federal Labor Relations Statutes: An Overview

    Federal Labor Relations Statutes: An Overview, Alexandra Hegji, Presidential Management Fellow. May 11, 2012

  • "Since 1926, Congress has enacted three major laws that govern labor-management relations for private sector and federal employees. An issue for Congress is the effect of these laws on employers, workers, and the nation’s economy. The Bureau of Labor Statistics estimates that, nationwide, 9.2 million employees are represented by unions. In the 112th Congress alone, more than 30 bills have been introduced to amend federal labor relations statutes. The proposals range from making union recognition without a secret ballot election illegal to further modifying runoff election procedures. This legislative activity, and the significant number of employees affected by federal labor relations laws, illustrate the current relevance of labor relations issues to legislators and their constituents."
  • Permanent Link        Topic(s): Government Documents
    * Outsourcing and Insourcing Jobs in the U.S. Economy: Evidence Based on Foreign Investment Data

    Outsourcing and Insourcing Jobs in the U.S. Economy: Evidence Based on Foreign Investment Data, James K. Jackson - Specialist in International Trade and Finance, May 10, 2012

  • "Broad, comprehensive data on U.S. multinational companies generally lag behind current events by two years and were not developed to address the issue of jobs outsourcing. Many economists argue, however, that there is little evidence to date to support the notion that the overseas investment activities of U.S. multinational companies play a significant role in the rate at which jobs are created in the U.S. economy. Instead, they argue that the source of job creation in the economy is rooted in the combination of macroeconomic policies the nation has chosen, the rate of productivity growth, and the availability of resources. This report addresses these issues by analyzing the extent of direct investment into and out of the economy, the role such investment plays in U.S. trade, jobs, and production, and the relationship between direct investment and the broader economic changes that are occurring in the U.S. economy."
  • Permanent Link        Topic(s): Government Documents
    * New study: Wasted time in meetings costs the UK economy £26 billion

    Europe Business Review:

    • "£26 billion: the amount lost from UK economy through time wasted in meetings in 2011
    • 2 hours 39 minutes: the number of hours workers feel are wasted in meetings during an average week
    • 49 minutes: the number of wasted minutes in meetings not made up for later
    • 10 hours or over: the amount of time one in five senior managers and directors say they spend in meetings per week
    • 11 minutes: the average amount of time it takes for people’s attention to drift in a meeting
    • Time wasted by office workers during meetings cost the UK economy approximately £26 billion in 2011, according to new research from Epson and the Cebr. Based on a survey of over 1000 UK office workers carried out by Opinion Matters on behalf of Epson, the report found that if these wasted hours had been spent productively this would equate to roughly 13 million more productive hours per week and an annual increase in gross domestic product (GDP) of approximately 1.7 percent."

    Permanent Link        Topic(s): Knowledge Management
    * Accelerating Progress in Obesity Prevention: Solving the Weight of the Nation

    "One-third of adults are now obese, and children's obesity rates have climbed from 5 to 17 percent in the past 30 years. The causes of the nation's obesity epidemic are multi-factorial, having much more to do with the absence of sidewalks and the limited availability of healthy and affordable foods than a lack of personal responsibility. The broad societal changes that are needed to prevent obesity will inevitably affect activity and eating environments and settings for all ages. Many aspects of the obesity problem have been identified and discussed; however, there has not been complete agreement on what needs to be done to accelerate progress. Accelerating Progress in Obesity Prevention reviews previous studies and their recommendations and presents five key recommendations to accelerate meaningful change on a societal level during the next decade. The report suggests recommendations and strategies that, independently, can accelerate progress, but urges a systems approach of many strategies working in concert to maximize progress in accelerating obesity prevention. The recommendations in Accelerating Progress in Obesity Prevention include major reforms in access to and opportunities for physical activity; widespread reductions in the availability of unhealthy foods and beverages and increases in access to healthier options at affordable, competitive prices; an overhaul of the messages that surround Americans through marketing and education with respect to physical activity and food consumption; expansion of the obesity prevention support structure provided by health care providers, insurers, and employers; and schools as a major national focal point for obesity prevention."

    Permanent Link        Topic(s): Government Documents
    May 14, 2012
    * TSA's Efforts To Identify and Track Security Breaches at Our Nation’s Airports

    DHS OIG - Transportation Security Administration’s Efforts To Identify and Track Security Breaches at Our Nation’s Airports (Redacted)

  • "Senator Frank Lautenberg requested an investigation into media reports focused on security breaches at Newark Liberty International Airport, including the contributing factors that led to the security breaches. He requested that we compare the incident rate of breaches at Newark to other airports in the region and comparable airports. He asked us to determine whether corrective action had been taken on the specific security incidents. We determined whether the Transportation Security Administration (TSA) at Newark had more security breaches than at other airports. We also determined whether TSA has an effective mechanism to use the information gathered from individual airports to identify measures that could be used to improve security nationwide."
  • Permanent Link        Topic(s): Government Documents
    * Working the Network: A Manager’s Guide for Using Twitter in Government

    Working the Network: A Manager’s Guide for Using Twitter in Government, Ines Mergel - Maxwell School of Citizenship and Public Affairs, Syracuse University. May 14, 2012.

  • "As of this writing, the federal government operates over 1,000 Twitter feeds. Federal civilian agencies maintain over 360 Twitter feeds, while the Department of Defense hosts more than 650. In addition to its official English feed, the State Department produces Twitter feeds in Turkish, Farsi, Arabic, Spanish, and French. It is fair to say that the federal government is embracing Twitter as a tool for citizen engagement. But is government realizing the panoply of benefits that a comprehensive understanding of this tool promises? Beyond acting as a broadcasting channel—supplementing the website by promoting press releases or announcing new initiatives—Twitter can help agencies follow public conversations on issues relevant to their organizations."
  • * SEC Microcap Fraud-Fighting Initiative Expels 379 Dormant Shell Companies to Protect Investors From Potential Scams

    News release: "The Securities and Exchange Commission today suspended trading in the securities of 379 dormant companies before they could be hijacked by fraudsters and used to harm investors through reverse mergers or pump-and-dump schemes. The trading suspension marks the most companies ever suspended in a single day by the agency as it ramps up its crackdown against fraud involving microcap shell companies that are dormant and delinquent in their public disclosures. Microcap companies typically have limited assets and low-priced stock that trades in low volumes. An initiative tabbed Operation Shell-Expel by the SEC's Microcap Fraud Working Group utilized various agency resources including the enhanced intelligence technology of the Enforcement Division's Office of Market Intelligence to scrutinize microcap stocks in the markets nationwide and identify clearly dormant shell companies in 32 states and six foreign countries that were ripe for potential fraud."

    * Interior Advances Offshore Atlantic Transmission Line

    ‘No Competitive Interest’ finding clears way for environmental analysis of proposed transmission ‘backbone’ for Outer Continental Shelf wind farms: "The proposed project is a high-voltage, direct-current subsea transmission system that would collect power generated by wind turbine facilities off the Atlantic coasts of New York, New Jersey, Delaware, Maryland and Virginia. The first such offshore infrastructure proposed in the United States, the system’s parallel, redundant circuits would total about 790 miles in length. Major investors in the Atlantic Wind Connection proposal include Google, Inc.; Good Energies II, LP; Marubeni Corporation and Elia."

    Permanent Link        Topic(s): Government Documents
    * Annual NOAA report shows a record number of rebuilt fisheries

    News release: "A record six fish populations were declared rebuilt to healthy levels in 2011, bringing the number of rebuilt U.S. marine fish populations in the last 11 years to 27, according to a report to Congress out today from NOAA’s Fisheries Service. This report documents historic progress toward ending overfishing and rebuilding our nation’s fisheries, due to the commitment of fishermen, fishing communities, non-governmental organizations, scientists, and managers...To read the full report, regional reports on fish populations and to see photos, go to the NOAA Fisheries Service home page."

    Permanent Link        Topic(s): Knowledge Management
    * Audit - DHS Information Technology Management Has Improved, But Challenges Remain

    DHS Information Technology Management Has Improved, But Challenges Remain, OIG-12-82, May 2012

  • "Since 2008, the Chief Information Officer has increased oversight and authority of information technology by reviewing DHS component programs and acquisitions. This has enabled the Chief Information Officer to make strategic recommendations to reduce costs and duplication. The Department has achieved some infrastructure integration goals through data center and network consolidation. Ultimately, the Department expects cost savings through improved information sharing and disaster recovery capabilities. Also, the Department matured key information technology management functions, such as portfolio management. However, challenges remain to recruit people with the necessary skills to perform certain management functions. Budget review improvements are needed to enable the Chief Information Officer to identify and resolve issues before component investments are finalized."
  • Permanent Link        Topic(s): Government Documents
    * Google expands punctuation and symbols in search

    Google Inside Search - "Punctuation and symbols in search - Generally, most punctuation and special characters are ignored in Google Search. However, we’re expanding our search capabilities to support some characters that modify search terms and help Google find exactly what you’re looking for. Here are some examples from the growing list of popular symbols that are supported.." [Search Engine Showdown]

    Permanent Link        Topic(s): Search Engines