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Daily Archives: August 30, 2009

New on LLRX.com: Crowd Competition and Community Standards at the #AALL2009 Conference

Re-Hashing the Hash Tag – Crowd Competition and Community Standards at the #AALL2009 Conference: Roger V. Skalbeck and Meg Kribble describe how the majority of social media activity during the 2009 AALL conference took place on Twitter, and how this technology impacts the profession and the free exchange of information, moving forward.

FEMA Searchable Disaster Photo Library

Disaster Photo Library – FEMA: “The FEMA on line Photo Library contains more than 16,500 disaster related photographs made since 1989. The collection is composed almost entirely of declared disasters and there are also photographs from FEMA public events which have occurred in Washington, DC. The photographs are of Hurricanes, Tornadoes, Floods, Typhoons, Fires, Avalanches,… Continue Reading

Medical Bankruptcy in the United States, 2007: Results of a National Study

Medical Bankruptcy in the United States, 2007: Results of a National Study, David U. Himmelstein, MD, Deborah Thorne, PhD, Elizabeth Warren, JD, Steffie Woolhandler, MD, MPH. The American Journal of Medicine (2009). “Our 2001 study in 5 states found that medical problems contributed to at least 46.2% of all bankruptcies. Since then, health costs and… Continue Reading

Recent CRS Reports: Treatment of Noncitizens in H.R. 3200, Insurance Regulation, Afghanistan, Latin American Financial Crises

August 25, 2009 – Treatment of Noncitizens in H.R. 3200 [America’s Affordable Health Choices Act of 2009] August 19, 2009 – Insurance Regulation: Issues, Background, and Legislation in the 111th Congress August 14, 2009 – Afghanistan: Post-Taliban Governance, Security, and U.S. Policy August 11, 2009 – Financial Regulation and Oversight: Latin American Financial Crises and… Continue Reading

New Rule Prohibiting Unwanted "Robocalls" to Take Effect on September 1

News release: “Beginning September 1, 2009, prerecorded commercial telemarketing calls to consumers – commonly known as robocalls – will be prohibited, unless the telemarketer has obtained permission in writing from consumers who want to receive such calls, the Federal Trade Commission announced today…The new requirement is part of amendments to the agency’s Telemarketing Sales Rule… Continue Reading

FCC Announces Notice of Inquiry on Mobile Wireless Competition

News release: “In an effort to obtain data for its next mobile wireless competition report, the Federal Communications Commission (FCC) [August 27, 2009] announced a Notice of Inquiry (“NOI”) that seeks to enhance its analysis of competitive conditions in the mobile wireless market. The NOI also seeks to better understand the net effects on the… Continue Reading

Scripps Environmental Accumulation of Plastic Expedition Seeking the Science of the Pacific Ocean Garbage Patch

SEAPLEX website: “A thousand miles off California, the North Pacific Ocean Gyre contains one of the oldest and largest ecosystems on Earth–but it may be in danger from a deluge of accumulated plastic trash. Dubbed the “Great Pacific Ocean Garbage Patch,” the debris at the center of the North Pacific Ocean has the potential to… Continue Reading

Labor Department Office of Workforce Security Unemployment Insurance Weekly Claims

News release, August 27, 2009: “In the week ending Aug. 22, the advance figure for seasonally adjusted initial claims was 570,000, a decrease of 10,000 from the previous week’s revised figure of 580,000. The 4-week moving average was 566,250, a decrease of 4,750 from the previous week’s revised average of 571,000. The advance seasonally adjusted… Continue Reading

American Bar Association Kicks Off One Million Trees Project in Baltimore

News release: “The American Bar Association, in partnership with the Alliance for Community Trees (ACT) and the Parks & People Foundation, will kick off the ABA’s One Million Trees Project in a public ceremony Sept. 23 at Franklin Square Elementary/Middle School in West Baltimore. The event is being held in conjunction with the 17th Annual… Continue Reading

FDIC Quarterly Banking Profile, Second Quarter 2009

FDIC Quarterly Banking Profile, Second Quarter 2009: The Industry Posts a Net Loss for the Quarter Burdened by costs associated with rising levels of troubled loans and falling asset values, FDIC-insured commercial banks and savings institutions reported an aggregate net loss of $3.7 billion in the second quarter of 2009. Increased expenses for bad loans… Continue Reading

Agency for Healthcare Research and Quality – State-specific health care quality information

2008 State Snapshots – “The State Snapshots provide State-specific health care quality information, including strengths, weaknesses, and opportunities for improvement. The goal is to help State officials and their public- and private-sector partners better understand health care quality and disparities in their State. State-level information used to create the State Snapshots is based on data… Continue Reading