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Daily Archives: July 28, 2009

Financial Crisis Advisory Group publishes wide-ranging review of standard-setting activities following the global financial crisis

“The Financial Crisis Advisory Group (FCAG), a high level group of recognised leaders with broad experience in international financial markets, today published its recommendations related to accounting standard-setting activities, and other changes to the international regulatory environment following the global financial crisis.” Report of the Financial Crisis Advisory Group, July 28, 2009: “In our discussions,… Continue Reading

GAO Adds Postal Service's Financial Condition to "High-Risk" List

News release: “Reporting that broad restructuring is urgently needed, the U.S. Government Accountability Office (GAO) today added the financial condition of the U.S. Postal Service (USPS) to its High-Risk List of federal areas in need of transformation…Mail volume fell by 9.5 billion pieces in fiscal year 2008 to a total of 203 billion pieces and… Continue Reading

New GAO Reports: Performance of Nonprime Mortgages, e-Health Records, Home Mortgages, Federally Funded Inventions, Emergency Communications

Characteristics and Performance of Nonprime Mortgages, GAO-09-848R, July 28, 2009 Electronic Health Records: DOD and VA Efforts to Achieve Full Interoperability Are Ongoing; Program Office Management Needs Improvement, GAO-09-775, July 28, 2009 Home Mortgages: Recent Performance of Nonprime Loans Highlights the Potential for Additional Foreclosures, GAO-09-922T, July 28, 2009 Homeland Defense: Preliminary Observations on Defense… Continue Reading

New Data On Cell Phone Use and Driving Distraction

News release: “Several large-scale, naturalistic driving studies (using sophisticated cameras and instrumentation in participants’ personal vehicles) conducted by the Virginia Tech Transportation Institute (VTTI), provide a clear picture of driver distraction and cell phone use under real‐world driving conditions. Combined, these studies continuously observed drivers for more than 6 million miles of driving. A snapshot… Continue Reading

CRS: The U.S. Newspaper Industry in Transition

The U.S. Newspaper Industry in Transition, July 8, 2009 “The U.S. newspaper industry is suffering through what could be its worst financial crisis since the Great Depression. Advertising revenues are plummeting due to the severe economic downturn, while readership habits are changing as consumers turn to the Internet for free news and information. Some major… Continue Reading