Accurate, Focused Research on Law, Technology and Knowledge Discovery Since 2002

Daily Archives: January 13, 2010

Justice Department Reaches Three Settlements Under the Americans with Disabilities Act Regarding the Use of Electronic Book Readers

News release: ” The Justice Department today announced separate agreements under the Americans with Disabilities Act (ADA) with Case Western Reserve University in Cleveland, Pace University in New York City and Reed College in Portland, Ore., regarding the use in a classroom setting of the electronic book reader, the Kindle DX, a hand-held technological device that simulates the experience of reading a book. Under the agreements reached today, the universities generally will not purchase, recommend or promote use of the Kindle DX, or any other dedicated electronic book reader, unless the devices are fully accessible to students who are blind and have low vision. The universities agree that if they use dedicated electronic book readers, they will ensure that students with vision disabilities are able to access and acquire the same materials and information, engage in the same interactions, and enjoy the same services as sighted students with substantially equivalent ease of use. The agreements that the Justice Department reached with these universities extend beyond the Kindle DX to any dedicated electronic reading device.”

Financial Crisis Inquiry Commission Report – Selected Financial Market & Economic Data

“In the wake of the most significant financial crisis since the Great Depression, the President signed into law on May 20, 2009, the Fraud Enforcement and Recovery Act of 2009, creating the Financial Crisis Inquiry Commission. The Commission was established to “examine the causes, domestic and global, of the current financial and economic crisis in… Continue Reading

Economic Impact of the American Recovery and Reinvestment Act of 2009, Second Quarterly Report

Executive Office of the President, Council of Economic Advisors: Economic Impact of the American Recovery and Reinvestment Act of 2009, Second Quarterly Report, January 13, 2010 “Evaluating the impact of countercyclical macroeconomic policy is inherently difficult because we do not observe what would have happened to the economy in the absence of policy. And the… Continue Reading

FTC Assesses Impact of 6 Years of Pay-for-Delay Drug Settlements

News release: “Federal Trade Commission Chairman Jon Leibowitz and key members of Congress, including Representative Chris Van Hollen, Chairman Bobby Rush, and Representative Mary Jo Kilroy, today renewed their call for legislation that would put an end to anticompetitive patent settlements, which drug manufacturers have been using to keep less-expensive medicines off the market and… Continue Reading

Administration Completes Implementation of Initiative To Support State and Local Housing Finance Agencies

News release: “The U.S. Department of the Treasury, together with the Department of Housing and Urban Development (HUD), and the Federal Housing Finance Agency (FHFA) today announced the completion of all transactions under the recently-introduced state and local Housing Finance Agency (HFA) Initiative, a key element of the Obama Administration’s Homeowner Affordability and Stability Plan.… Continue Reading

Pew: Four in ten seniors go online

Four in ten seniors go online, by Susannah Fox, Jan 13, 2010: “As of December 2009, 38% of U.S. adults age 65 and older go online, a significantly lower rate of internet adoption than the general population (74%) and even the next-oldest group (70% of adults age 50-64 years old go online). In addition, just… Continue Reading

Federal Reserve Beige Book, January 13, 2009

Full Report – Beige Book, February 13, 2010 – Summary of Commentary on Current Economic Conditions by Federal Reserve District, and link to reports by Districts. “Reports from the twelve Federal Reserve Districts indicated that while economic activity remains at a low level, conditions have improved modestly further, and those improvements are broader geographically than… Continue Reading

New GAO Reports: Loan Performance in Nonprime Mortgage Market, Social Security: Options to Protect Benefits

Loan Performance and Negative Home Equity in the Nonprime Mortgage Market, GAO-10-146R, December 16, 2009: “This report (1) provides information on the performance of these nonprime loans as of June 30, 2009, and describes forecasts made by others of future loan performance; and (2) examines the extent of negative home equity among nonprime borrowers in… Continue Reading

City Budget Shortfalls and Responses: Projections for 2010-2012

National League of Cities – Research Brief on America’s Cities, December 2009: “While the nation’s economy may be approaching the late stages of the worst economic downturn since the Great Depression, local government budget tightening and spending cuts over the next several years could well impose a significant drag on the nation’s economic recovery. Cities… Continue Reading

President Obama Signs Executive Order Establishing Council of Governors

Executive Order will Strengthen Further Partnership Between the Federal and State and Local Governments to Better Protect Our Nation: “The President [on January 11, 2010] signed an Executive Order establishing a Council of Governors to strengthen further the partnership between the Federal Government and State Governments to protect our Nation against all types of hazards.… Continue Reading