Employment Situation Summary, February 2010: “Nonfarm payroll employment was little changed (-36,000) in February, and the unemployment rate held at 9.7 percent, the U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics reported today. Employment fell in construction and information, while temporary help services added jobs. Severe winter weather in parts of the country may have affected payroll employment… Continue Reading
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Monthly Archives: March 2010
New GAO Reports: Cybersecurity, Recovery Act, Food Safety
Cybersecurity: Progress Made but Challenges Remain in Defining and Coordinating the Comprehensive National Initiative, GAO-10-338, March 05, 2010 Recovery Act: California’s Use of Funds and Efforts to Ensure Accountability, GAO-10-467T, March 05, 2010 Food Safety: FDA Should Strengthen Its Oversight of Food Ingredients Determined to Be Generally Recognized as Safe (GRAS), GAO-10-246, February 03, 2010 Continue Reading
WSJ: Top Cleantech Companies
“In The Wall Street Journal’s first survey of venture-backed clean technology companies, three makers of solar cells came out on top: Solyndra Inc. of Fremont, Calif.; Suniva Inc. of Norcross, Ga.; and eSolar Inc. of Pasadena, Calif. The rankings, announced Thursday at the Journal’s ECO:Nomics Executive Conference in Santa Barbara, Calif., seek to identify those… Continue Reading
Jonathan Band's Chart of Possible Google Book Search Settlement Results
Follow up to previous postings on Google Book Search: “Now that the fairness hearing on the Google Books Settlement has occurred, it is up to Judge Chin to decide whether the proposed settlement is “fair, reasonable, and adequate.” The attached chart attempts to diagram some of the possible paths forward. Notwithstanding the complexity of the… Continue Reading
Technology Review's 50 Most Innovative Companies
“To select the 50 most innovative companies in the world, the editors of Technology Review looked for those that over the last year have demonstrated their superiority at inventing technology and using it both to grow as businesses and to transform how we live. We identified the companies that have the most promising technologies, whether… Continue Reading
Census Bureau: Full Report on Manufacturers Shipments, Inventories and Orders January 2010
Full Report on Manufacturers Shipments, Inventories and Orders January 2010: “New orders for manufactured goods in January, up nine of the last ten months, increased $6.2 billion or 1.7 percent to $378.4 billion, the U.S. Census Bureau reported today. This followed a 1.5 percent December increase. Excluding transportation, new orders increased 0.1 percent. Shipments, up… Continue Reading
BLS: Productivity and Costs, Fourth Quarter and Annual Averages 2009, Revised
News release: “Nonfarm business sector labor productivity increased at a 6.9 percent annual rate during the fourth quarter of 2009, the U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics reported today. The gain in productivity reflects a 7.6 percent increase in output partially offset by a 0.6 percent increase in hours worked. (All quarterly percent changes in this… Continue Reading
Roosevelt Institute Report: Make Markets Be Markets
“In 2009, the Roosevelt Institute launched a policy center focused on the development and promotion of some of the most innovative, rigorous voices and ideas inspired by the courage and progressive values that Franklin and Eleanor Roosevelt brought to the twentieth century. The centers first projects focus on global finance and the architecture of a… Continue Reading
New GAO Reports: Forest Service, Humane Methods of Slaughter Act, Iran Sanctions, Recovery Act
Forest Service: Information on Appeals, Objections, and Litigation Involving Fuel Reduction Activities, Fiscal Years 2006 through 2008, GAO-10-337, March 04, 2010 Humane Methods of Slaughter Act: Weaknesses in USDA Enforcement, GAO-10-487T, March 04, 2010 Iran Sanctions: Complete and Timely Licensing Data Needed to Strengthen Enforcement of Export Restrictions, GAO-10-375, March 04, 2010 Recovery Act: Factors… Continue Reading
Declassified Version of U.S. Cybersecurity Plan Released by White House
The Comprehensive National Cybersecurity Initiative: “President Obama has identified cybersecurity as one of the most serious economic and national security challenges we face as a nation, but one that we as a government or as a country are not adequately prepared to counter. Shortly after taking office, the President therefore ordered a thorough review of… Continue Reading
Report: Envisioning America's Future Postal Service
News release: “The U.S. Postal Service is at a tipping point due to the combined effects of the economic recession, increased use of electronic communications, and its obligations to prepay Retiree Health Benefits. Always dedicated to providing reliable, affordable, high-quality universal service, the Postal Service has developed and begun implementing a range of cost-reducing and… Continue Reading
Strengthening Science in Government: Advancing Science in the Publics Interest
Strengthening Science in Government: Advancing Science in the Publics Interest. The Scientists in Government Project March 2010. “The federal government must ensure that its scientists are able to function effectively, both so that agencies can produce top-quality science to answer important questions and so that they can attract and retain scientific talent. Agencies must… Continue Reading
