Washington Post: “U.S. newspaper circulation has hit its lowest level in seven decades, as papers across the country lost 10.6 percent of their paying readers from April through September, compared with a year earlier.” Related, Daniel Gross via Slate: Paper Hangers – Newspapers aren’t doing as badly as you think. Continue Reading
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Monthly Archives: October 2009
CDC Estimates of the Prevalence of Pandemic (H1N1) in U.S., AprilJuly 2009
Estimates of the Prevalence of Pandemic (H1N1) 2009, United States, AprilJuly 2009: “Through July 2009, a total of 43,677 laboratory-confirmed cases of influenza A pandemic (H1N1) 2009 were reported in the United States, which is likely a substantial underestimate of the true number. Correcting for under-ascertainment using a multiplier model, we estimate that 1.8 million5.7… Continue Reading
Google Launches New Music Search Feature
Official Google Blog: “…we’re rolling out a search feature that…enabl[es] you to search and more easily discover millions of songs, all via a simple Google web search…Now, when you enter a music-related query like the name of a song, artist or album your search results will include links to an audio preview of… Continue Reading
A Call to Action for State Government: Guidance for Opening the Doors to State Data
“States and local governments should increase citizens’ access to raw, machine-readable data through sites similar to the federal government’s Data.gov. Data democratization will lead to greater citizen engagement and government accountability, according to the National Association of State CIOs’ latest brief on transparency. In A Call to Action for State Government: Guidance for Opening the… Continue Reading
Guidelines for Secure Use of Social Media by Federal Departments and Agencies, v1.0
Guidelines for Secure Use of Social Media by Federal Departments and Agencies, v1.0 Issued By: ISIMC [Information Security and Identity Management Committee] – Effective Date: 09.17.2009 Abstract: The use of social media for federal services and interactions is growing tremendously, supported by initiatives from the administration, directives from government leaders, and demands from the public.… Continue Reading
Report: Target Date Retirement Funds: Lack of Clarity Among Structures and Fees Raises Concerns
News release: “Today U.S. Senator Herb Kohl (D-WI), chairman of the Senate Special Committee on Aging, held a hearing on strengthening the 401(k) system, with a particular focus on the proliferation, composition, and regulation of target date funds. Target date funds, sometimes called lifecycle funds, are a type of mutual fund that automatically rebalances to… Continue Reading
New GAO Reports: 401(K) Plans, Higher Education and Disability, DOD Human Capital, NextGen Air Transport, Cyber Security
401(K) Plans: Several Factors Can Diminish Retirement Savings, but Automatic Enrollment Shows Promise for Increasing Participation and Savings, GAO-10-153T, October 28, 2009 Higher Education and Disability: Education Needs a Coordinated Approach to Improve Its Assistance to Schools in Supporting Students, GAO-10-33, October 28, 2009 Human Capital: Monitoring of Safeguards and Addressing Employee Perceptions Are Key… Continue Reading
Special Inspector General for Iraq Reconstruction Audits Identifying Fraud, Waste, and Abuse
10-004 Iraq Reconstruction Funds: Forensic Audits Identifying Fraud, Waste, and Abuse Interim Report #1, October 28, 2009: “Our 17 audits of major reconstruction contracts involving about $6.4 billion in Iraq reconstruction funds identified a number of common or crosscutting internal control weaknesses…” Continue Reading
Federal Agencies Enter an Agreement Regarding Transmission Siting on Federal Lands
News release: “Today, Obama Administration officials released a Memorandum of Understanding (MOU) signed by nine Federal Departments and Agencies to make it faster and simpler to build transmission lines on Federal lands. The goal of the agreement is to speed approval of new transmission lines, reduce expense and uncertainty in the process, generate cost savings,… Continue Reading
FOIA Lawsuit Yields Unclassified FBI Domestic Investigations and Operations Guide
New York Times: “In September 2008, the Bush administration changed domestic intelligence-gathering rules. The Federal Bureau of Investigation’s interpretation of those rules was recently made public when the bureau released a redacted copy of its “Domestic Investigations and Operation Guide” in response to a Freedom of Information lawsuit. The new rules have given F.B.I. agents… Continue Reading
FTC Proposes New Light Bulb Labels, Seeks Public Comments
News release: “The FTC has proposed new labeling requirements for lamps, commonly known as light bulbs, in response to a congressional mandate. The marketplace has been changing quickly with the emergence of newer, more energy-efficient technologies such as compact fluorescent light (CFL) bulbs and light-emitting diode (LED) products as traditional incandescent bulbs are… Continue Reading
President Obama Announces $3.4 Billion for Smart Grid
News release: “Speaking at Florida Power and Lights (FPL) DeSoto Next Generation Solar Energy Center, President Barack Obama today announced the largest single energy grid modernization investment in U.S. history, funding a broad range of technologies that will spur the nations transition to a smarter, stronger, more efficient and reliable electric system. The end result… Continue Reading
