News release: “The final report of the Congressional Commission on the Strategic Posture of the United States provides over 100 findings and recommendations on critical issues related to U.S. nuclear strategy. Key themes on which recommendations are focused include (1) challenges and opportunities inherent in the current security environment; (2) the roles, functions, and projection… Continue Reading
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Monthly Archives: May 2009
Zillow Real Estate Market Reports First Quarter: January-March 2009
News release: “U.S. home values continued to slide for the ninth consecutive quarter, declining 14.2 percent from a year ago, and falling 21.8 percent since the market peak in 2006. Additionally, one-fifth (21.9%) of all homeowners in the United States is in negative equity, and one in five homes sold in the past 12 months… Continue Reading
Obama Administration Opens Up Government to New World of Social Networking
Time: “At the new President’s urging and by his example, the entire Federal Government [well, not really] has bounded into the world of social-networking. Twenty-five agencies now have YouTube channels. The Library of Congress has begun posting thousands of free historical photos on Flickr. In the past week alone, about 30 agencies, including the White… Continue Reading
FTC Testifies on Efforts to Combat Foreclosure Rescue and Loan Modification Scams
News release: “The Federal Trade Commission today told the U.S. House Subcommittee on Housing and Community Opportunity of the Committee on Financial Services that, with the rapid increase in mortgage delinquencies and foreclosures, the FTC has intensified its efforts to protect consumers from foreclosure rescue and loan modification scams. The FTC also recommended legislative and… Continue Reading
Joint statement on Treasury Capital Assistance Program and Supervisory Capital Assessment Program
News release: “During this period of extraordinary economic uncertainty, the U.S. federal banking supervisors believe it to be important for the largest U.S. bank holding companies (BHCs) to have a capital buffer sufficient to withstand losses and sustain lending even in a significantly more adverse economic environment than is currently anticipated. In keeping with this… Continue Reading
2008 National Healthcare Quality & Disparities Reports
News release: “For the sixth year in a row, the Agency for Healthcare Research and Quality (AHRQ) has produced the National Healthcare Quality Report (NHQR) and the National Healthcare Disparities Report (NHDR). These reports measure trends in effectiveness of care, patient safety, timeliness of care, patient centeredness, and efficiency of care. The reports present, in… Continue Reading
The G20 Meetings: No Common Framework, No Consensus
The G20 Meetings: No Common Framework, No Consensus, Michael Pettis, Nonresident Senior Associate, Carnegie China Program, Policy Brief No. 79, May 2009 “Participants in the recently completed G20 meeting in London agreed on a number of measures, some substantial and some merely symbolic, but they sidestepped the real issues dividing the major economic powers and,… Continue Reading
DOJ OIG Audit: FBI's Terrorist Watchlist Nomination Practices
The Federal Bureau of Investigation’s Terrorist Watchlist Nomination Practices, Audit Report 09-25, May 2009 “The federal governments consolidated terrorist watchlist was created in March 2004 by merging previously separate watchlists that were once maintained by different agencies throughout the federal government. The watchlist is managed by the Federal Bureau of Investigation (FBI), through its supervision… Continue Reading
New GAO Reports: DOD Financial Statement Auditability, Intelligent Mail Benefits, SEC Enforcements Division, Passport Issuance Process
Architect of the Capitol: Plans for Renovating the Cannon House Office Building and Garages, GAO-09-673T, May 06, 2009 Financial Management: Achieving Financial Statement Auditability in the Department of Defense, GAO-09-373, May 06, 2009 U.S. Postal Service: Intelligent Mail Benefits May Not Be Achieved if Key Risks Are Not Addressed, GAO-09-599, May 06, 2009 Securities and… Continue Reading
Postal Service Ends Second Quarter with $1.9 Billion Loss
News release: “The U.S. Postal Service ended its second quarter (Jan 1 March 31) with a net loss of $1.9 billion, as the economic recession and longer-term financial pressures, such as the diversion of letter mail to electronic alternatives, continued to reduce mail volume and revenue. Despite aggressive actions to reduce costs and grow… Continue Reading
Recent Info Access Study in UK Organizations Identifies Barriers Set by IT
News release: “Recommind…search-powered information risk management (IRM) software….released the results of its recent research into the information access and search habits of UK organisations. With businesses capable of searching just 50 percent of the information that their employees need for their daily tasks, the findings indicate that legacy, one-size-fits-all Enterprise Search 1.0 systems are no… Continue Reading
Commerce and Interior Restore Scientific Consultations under the Endangered Species Act to Protect Species and their Habitats
News release: “Secretary of Commerce Gary Locke and Secretary of the Interior Ken Salazar today announced that the two departments are revoking an eleventh-hour Bush administration rule that undermined Endangered Species Act (ESA) protections. Their decision requires federal agencies to once again consult with federal wildlife experts at the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service and… Continue Reading
