International Atomic Energy Agency: IAEA Director General Mohamed ElBaradei has circulated his latest reports on nuclear safeguards in Iran and Syria to Member States. The report outlines developments since the Director General´s report of 5 June 2009. The reports are entitled Implementation of the NPT Safeguards Agreement and Relevant Provisions of Security Council Resolutions 1737… Continue Reading
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Monthly Archives: August 2009
Oil, Food, Water, and Fish: Will these resources be depleted within our lifetime?
Four crucial resources that may run out in your lifetime, by Loz Blain: “We’re living in lucky times. Living standards – in the Western world, at least – are the highest in history. It’s an era of relative peace and plenty that would amaze our ancestors. But it’s not going to continue forever; we’re already… Continue Reading
Bureau of Economic Analysis: Personal Income and Outlays July 2009
Personal Income and Outlays, July 2009: “Personal income increased $3.8 billion, or less than 0.1 percent, and disposable personal income (DPI) decreased $4.6 billion, or less than 0.1 percent, in July, according to the Bureau of Economic Analysis. Personal consumption expenditures (PCE) increased $25.0 billion, or 0.2 percent. In June, personal income decreased $133.4 billion,… Continue Reading
Productivity and Costs by Industry: Wholesale and Retail Trade, Food Services and Drinking Places
News release: “Labor productivity (output per hour) declined in wholesale trade, retail trade, and food services and drinking places in 2008. Productivity fell in 26 of the 50 detailed industries studied. Unit labor costs rose in 29 detailed industries, and increased in all three sectors in 2008.” Related postings on financial system Continue Reading
Federal Reserve Board Must Release Bank Bailout Info to News Organizations
Reporters Committee for Freedom of the Press:” The string of FOIA lawsuits for release of records of the government’s emergency lending programs finally saw its first victory Monday. The Federal Reserve Board must release to Bloomberg News records identifying the financial firms it loaned bailout funds to as well as the assets or amounts put… Continue Reading
FDIC-Insured Institutions Lost $3.7 Billion in the Second Quarter of 2009
News release: “Commercial banks and savings institutions insured by the Federal Deposit Insurance Corporation (FDIC) reported an aggregate net loss of $3.7 billion in the second quarter of 2009, a decline of $8.5 billion from the $4.8 billion in profits the industry reported in the second quarter of 2008. Insured institutions earned $424 million in… Continue Reading
Data on Mercury in Water, Bed Sediment, and Fish from Streams Across the United States, 1998-2005
Bauch, N.J., Chasar, L.C., Scudder, B.C., Moran, P.W., Hitt, K.J., Brigham, M.E., Lutz, M.A., and Wentz, D.A., 2009, Data on mercury in water, bed sediment, and fish from streams across the United States, 19982005: U.S. Geological Survey Data Series 307, 33 p. News release: “Scientists detected mercury contamination in every fish sampled in 291 streams… Continue Reading
HHS: New Heath Care Reform Report Regarding America's Seniors
News release: “HHS Secretary Kathleen Sebelius today issued a new report, Americas Seniors and Health Insurance Reform: Protecting Coverage and Strengthening Medicare. The report highlights the problems with the status quo that leave seniors paying escalating costs for their health care while outlining how health insurance reform will strengthen Medicare and protect coverage for seniors.… Continue Reading
Bureau of Economic Analysis: Gross Domestic Product (GDP)
Release release includes highlights, technical note, and associated tables: “Real gross domestic product — the output of goods and services produced by labor and property located in the United States — decreased at an annual rate of 1.0 percent in the second quarter of 2009, (that is, from the first quarter to the second quarter),… Continue Reading
Federal Housing Finance Agency Reports Mortgage Interest Rates
News release: “The Federal Housing Finance Agency today reported that the average interest rate on conventional 30-year, fixed-rate, mortgage loans of $417,000 or less increased 19 basis points to 5.31 percent in July. The average interest rate on 15-year, fixed-rate loans of $417,000 or less increased 9 basis points to 4.89 percent in July. These… Continue Reading
DHS and Information Technology Sector Coordinating Council Release Information Technology Sector Baseline Risk Assessment
News release: “The Department of Homeland Security (DHS) and the Information Technology Sector Coordinating Council (IT SCC) today released the IT Sector Baseline Risk Assessment (ITSRA) to identify and prioritize national-level risks to critical sector-wide IT functions while outlining strategies to mitigate those risks and enhance national and economic security…The ITSRA validates the resiliency of… Continue Reading
DHS OIG: Role of the No Fly and Selectee Lists in Securing Commercial Aviation
OIG-09-64 – Role of the No Fly and Selectee Lists in Securing Commercial Aviation (PDF, 63 pages] Redacted, July 2009. “Although the use of the No Fly and Selectee lists is largely successful in identifying potential terrorists who could threaten commercial aviation, some individuals not included on the lists may also present vulnerabilities to aviation… Continue Reading
