“The Symantec Internet Security Threat Report offers analysis and discussion of threat activity over a one-year period. It covers Internet threat activities, vulnerabilities, malicious code, phishing, spam and security risks as well as future trends. The fourteenth version of the report, released April 14, 2009, is now available.” Internet Security Threat Report Volume XIV: April,… Continue Reading
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Monthly Archives: April 2009
Sunshine in Government Initiative Report on FOIA Backlogs
“Despite reforms enacted by Congress and an order from the last administration to do a better job, federal agencies continue to give those seeking information a frustrating and oftentimes unsatisfying experience, an analysis of federal agency FOIA reports shows. Backlogs persist despite fewer FOIA requests, agencies continue to miss the statutory response deadline in a… Continue Reading
ALA Releases State of Americas Libraries Report
News release: “The value of libraries in communities across the country continued to grow in 2008and accelerated dramatically as the national economy sank and people looked for cost effective resources in a time of crisis, according to the American Library Associations (ALA) annual State of Americas Libraries report, released today as part of National Library… Continue Reading
Pew Hispanic Center: A Portrait of Unauthorized Immigrants in the United States
A Portrait of Unauthorized Immigrants in the United States, Jeffrey S. Passel, Senior Demographer, Pew Hispanic Center, and D’Vera Cohn, Senior Writer, Pew Research Center: “The nation’s 11.9 million unauthorized immigrants are more geographically dispersed than in the past, according to a new Pew Hispanic Center demographic and geographic analysis of this group that includes… Continue Reading
CRS: The Global Financial Crisis: Analysis and Policy Implications
The Global Financial Crisis: Analysis and Policy Implications, Dick K. Nanto, Coordinator, Specialist in Industry and Trade, April 3, 2009. “What began as a bursting of the U.S. housing market bubble and a rise in foreclosures has ballooned into a global financial and economic crisis. The world now appears to have entered a global recession… Continue Reading
DHS Reports on Rightwing and Leftwing Extremists
Via FAS: Unclassified – Rightwing Extremism: Current Economic and Political Climate Fueling Resurgence in Radicalization and Recruitment, 7 April 2009. Prepared by the Extremism and Radicalization Branch, Homeland Environment Threat Analysis Division. Coordinated with the FBI. Via FOXNews: Unclassified – Leftwing Extremists Likely to Increase Use of Cyber Attacks over the Coming Decade, 26 January… Continue Reading
American Recovery and Reinvestment Act of 2009: Oversight Challenges Facing the Department of Transportation
DOT OIG – American Recovery and Reinvestment Act of 2009: Oversight Challenges Facing the Department of Transportation “On March 31, we issued our report on oversight challenges facing the Department of Transportation with the implementation of the American Recovery and Reinvestment Act (ARRA) of 2009. The objective of this audit was to highlight key DOT… Continue Reading
Speech by Chairman Bernanke on four questions about the financial crisis
Federal Reserve Board Chairman Ben S. Bernanke At the Morehouse College, Atlanta, Georgia – April 14, 2009 – Four Questions about the Financial Crisis “The current crisis has been one of the most difficult financial and economic episodes in modern history. Recently we have seen tentative signs that the sharp decline in economic activity may… Continue Reading
EPIC Demands Disclosure of Documents Detailing "Virtual Strip Search" Airport Scanners
“Today, EPIC filed a Freedom of Information Act request demanding disclosure of records detailing airport scanners that take naked pictures of American travelers. Security experts describe the “whole body imaging” scanners as virtual strip searches. The Transportation Security Administration plans to make the scans mandatory at all airport security checkpoints, despite prior assurances that whole… Continue Reading
U.S. Air Traffic Control System Over 40 Years Old
NPR: “The radar system used to guide U.S. flights is more than 40 years old, which may help explain why nearly one-quarter of all those flights are late. The Federal Aviation Administration wants to phase out radar and roll out a satellite-based air traffic control system, NextGen, which is based on the same GPS technology… Continue Reading
New crash tests demonstrate the influence of vehicle size and weight on safety in crashes
News release: “Three front-to-front crash tests, each involving a microcar or minicar into a midsize model from the same manufacturer, show how extra vehicle size and weight enhance occupant protection in collisions. These Insurance Institute for Highway Safety tests are about the physics of car crashes, which dictate that very small cars generally can’t protect… Continue Reading
New GAO Reports: State Dept. Passport Issuance Process, Military Disability Retirement, GAO Performance Plan
Addressing Significant Vulnerabilities in the Department of State’s Passport Issuance Process, GAO-09-583R, April 13, 2009 Military Disability Retirement: Closer Monitoring Would Improve the Temporary Retirement Process, GAO-09-289, April 13, 2009 United States Government Accountability Office Fiscal Year 2010 Performance Plan, GAO-09-304SP, April 13, 2009 Continue Reading
