Food and Agriculture Organization of the United Nations, Remediation of Arsenic for Agriculture Sustainability, Food Security and Health in Bangladesh: “Contamination of shallow groundwater aquifers with arsenic (As) has been reported in over 20 countries around the world…but is most serious in the Bengal Delta region of Bangladesh and West Bengal, India where the groundwater… Continue Reading
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Monthly Archives: January 2008
Growing Concerns About Preservation of Presidential Records
New Questions Raised About White House Records Preservation: “In letters to the White House and the National Archives, House Oversight Chairman Waxman asks whether the White House has preserved its records according to the obligations of the Presidential Records Act, and what the White House has done to prepare for the transition of presidential records… Continue Reading
Remarks by Homeland Security Secretary Michael Chertoff at a Press Conference on REAL ID
Press release, January 11, 2009: “One of the biggest concerns weve had for the last several years, one we continue to have at the Department of Homeland Security, is how do we promote a secure form of identification across America? And Congress has spoken to this by passing the REAL ID Act several years ago,… Continue Reading
EPA OIG Reports: National Emergency Response Planning, Chesapeake Bay Watershed Oversight
08-P-0055 EPA Should Continue to Improve Its National Emergency Response Planning [Report PDF – 27 pages] [At a Glance PDF] January 9, 2008: “We found that EPAs Emergency Response Business Plan did not disclose the basis for EPAs resource estimates. Additionally, EPA management stated they did not consider State and local resources in their resource… Continue Reading
First-Ever Ranking of 40 Leading Banks on Climate Change Strategies
Ceres press release: “While encouraging progress is being made, the banking sector still has a long way to go in confronting the business challenges posed by global climate change, according to a first-ever report issued today by the Ceres investor coalition that analyzes climate change governance practices of 40 of the worlds largest banks…The report… Continue Reading
Center for Public Integrity The Buying of the President 2008
“This website is a companion to The Buying of the President 2008. Like the book, this site explores the roles that money and special interests play in presidential politics. But unlike the book, which will provide a behind-the-scenes examination of how big money influences the presidential election process, this site is a work in progress… Continue Reading
Science 2.0: Great New Tool, or Great Risk?
Scientific American: Wikis, blogs and other collaborative web technologies could usher in a new era of science. Or not. By M. Mitchell Waldrop: “The explosively growing World Wide Web has rapidly transformed retailing, publishing, personal communication and much more. Innovations such as e-commerce, blogging, downloading and open-source software have forced old-line institutions to adopt whole… Continue Reading
U.S. International Trade in Goods and Services, November 2007
U.S. International Trade in Goods and Services, November 2007: “The U.S. Census Bureau and the U.S. Bureau of Economic Analysis, through the Department of Commerce, announced [January 11, 2008] that total November exports of $142.3 billion and imports of $205.4 billion resulted in a goods and services deficit of $63.1 billion, up from $57.8 billion… Continue Reading
Publishers Say Enactment of NIH Mandate on Journal Articles Undermines Intellectual Property Rights Essential to Science Publishing
Follow up to December 27, 2007 posting Mandate for Public Access to NIH-Funded Research Now Law, see this press release: “The Association of American Publishers [January 3, 2008] criticized a controversial new NIH research publication policy that was enacted as part of the omnibus appropriations package for 2008, and reaffirmed that journal publishers who have… Continue Reading
New GAO Reports: Defense Acquisitions, Nuclear Nonproliferation
Defense Acquisitions: Departmentwide Direction Is Needed for Implementation of the Anti-tamper Policy, GAO-08-91, January 11, 2008: “The Department of Defense (DOD) invests billions of dollars on sophisticated weapon systems and technologies. These may be at risk of exploitation when exported, stolen, or lost during combat or routine missions. In an effort to minimize this risk,… Continue Reading
American Lung Association State of Tobacco Control 2007 Report
“The American Lung Association State of Tobacco Control 2007 report tracks progress on key tobacco control policies at the state and federal level and assigns grades to tobacco control laws and regulations enacted as of January 1, 2008. This report is a call to action for national and state elected officials: Meet the challenge and… Continue Reading
Internet's Broader Role in Campaign 2008
Pew Research Center Report: Internet’s Broader Role in Campaign 2008 – Social Networking and Online Videos Take Off, Released: January 11, 2008 “The internet is living up to its potential as a major source for news about the presidential campaign. Nearly a quarter of Americans (24%) say they regularly learn something about the campaign from… Continue Reading
