Houston Business Journal: “Bank of America Corp. now ranks as the largest U.S. bank ranked by assets, according to a study by SNL Financial. Charlotte, N.C.-based BofA had total assets of almost $2.5 trillion as of Dec. 31. Prior to its recent acquisition of Merrill Lynch & Co. Inc., BofA would have been ranked third… Continue Reading
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Monthly Archives: March 2009
Regional and State Employment and Unemployment (Monthly)
Regional and State Employment and Unemployment Summary: “Regional and state unemployment rates were nearly all higher in January. Forty-nine states and the District of Columbia recorded over-the-month unemployment rate increases, while all states and the District of Columbia had higher rates than a year earlier, the Bureau of Labor Statistics of the U.S. Department of… Continue Reading
Recovery Act Implementation Improving Grants.gov and Other Critical Systems
OMB Memoranda: M-09-14, Recovery Act Implementation Improving Grants.gov and Other Critical Systems (March 9, 2009) “Effective implementation of the Recovery Act is a critical part of the effort to jumpstart economic activity and a top priority for the Administration. Central to carrying out the provisions of the Recovery Act with unprecedented levels of transparency… Continue Reading
Poll: 21% of U.S. Residents Report Trouble Paying Medical, Drug Bills in 2008
Kaiser Daily Health Policy Report: “Twenty-one percent of U.S. residents reported having difficulty paying for needed medical care or medications in December 2008, up from 18% in January 2008, according to the Gallup-Healthways Well-Being Index, USA Today reports. The poll, conducted by Gallup and disease management company Healthways, surveyed an estimated 1,000 U.S. residents each… Continue Reading
Global Finance Lists Worlds 50 Safest Banks
News release: “The Worlds 50 Safest Banks 2009 were selected through a comparison of the long-term credit ratings and total assets of the 500 largest banks around the world. Ratings from Moodys, Standard & Poors and Fitch were used.” [Note: only two U.S. banks on this list – 26. US Bancorp and 47. JPMorgan Chase]… Continue Reading
New Open Source Project Monitors Flows of Media
“Media Cloud is a system that lets you see the flow of the media. The Internet is fundamentally altering the way that news is produced and distributed, but there are few comprehensive approaches to understanding the nature of these changes. Media Cloud automatically builds an archive of news stories and blog posts from the web,… Continue Reading
ACLU Releases Report On Patriot Act Abuses
News release: “The American Civil Liberties Union released a comprehensive report today examining widespread abuses that have occurred under the USA Patriot Act, a law that was rushed through Congress just 45 days after September 11. In the almost eight years since the passage of the controversial national security law, the Patriot Act has led… Continue Reading
Making Sense of the Financial Mess – Global Finance Infographic
GOOD [via theeconomysucks – [“a collaboration of individuals, businesses, and nonprofits pushing the world forward”]: informative, insightful, infographics on Making Sense of the Financial Mess. Related postings on financial system Continue Reading
Speech by Chairman Bernanke on financial reform to address systemic risk
Chairman Ben S. Bernanke At the Council on Foreign Relations, Washington, D.C. March 10, 2009, Financial Reform to Address Systemic Risk “The first element of my proposed reform agenda covers systemically important institutions considered individually. The second element focuses on interactions among firms as mediated by what I have called the financial infrastructure, or the… Continue Reading
EPA Proposes First National Reporting on Greenhouse Gas Emissions
News release: “The U.S. Environmental Protection Agency today proposed the first comprehensive national system for reporting emissions of carbon dioxide and other greenhouse gases produced by major sources in the United States…The new reporting requirements would apply to suppliers of fossil fuel and industrial chemicals, manufacturers of motor vehicles and engines, as well as large… Continue Reading
New GAO Reports: National Cybersecurity Strategy, DOT Programs,
GSA Global Supply’s Direct Vendor Delivery Proposal Addresses Declining Office Product Sales, but Annual Reviews May Be Needed to Monitor Impact on Small Business Participation, GAO-09-230R, February 6, 2009 National Cybersecurity Strategy: Key Improvements Are Needed to Strengthen the Nation’s Posture, GAO-09-432T, March 10, 2009 Transportation Programs: Challenges Facing the Department of Transportation and Congress,… Continue Reading
OPEC Revenues Fact Sheet, Short-Term Energy Outlook, World Oil Reserves
OPEC Revenues Fact Sheet (03/10/2009): “Based on projections from the EIA March 2009 Short-Term Energy Outlook (STEO), members of the Organization of the Petroleum Exporting Countries (OPEC) could earn $383 billion of net oil export revenues in 2009 and $503 billion in 2010. Last year, OPEC earned $970 billion in net oil export revenues, a… Continue Reading
