Follow up to previous postings on government implementation of whole body scanning technology at airports, this news release: “EPIC and a broad coalition of organizations sent a formal petition to the Department of Homeland Security to demand that the agency suspend the airport body scanner program. The petition states that the “uniquely intrusive search” is unreasonable and violates the Constitution. The petition further states the program fails to comply with several federal laws, including the Religious Freedom Restoration Act, the Privacy Act of 1974, and the Administrative Procedures Act. The petitioners also argue that the machines are ineffective and that there are better, less costly security technology. The petitioners contend that the TSA has routinely misled the pubic about the ability of the devices to store and transmit detailed images of travelers’ naked bodies. In a Freedom of Information Act lawsuit, EPIC has already obtained technical documents, vendor contracts, and hundreds of traveler complaints.”
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Daily Archives: April 21, 2010
New Study Of Targeted Violence Affecting U.S. Institutions Of Higher Education Released
Campus Attacks – Targeted Violence Affecting Institutions of Higher Education, April 2010. United States Secret Service, United States Department of Education, Federal Bureau of Investigation “In response to the Virginia Tech incident on April 16, 2007, former cabinet Secretaries Michael Leavitt and Margaret Spellings, and former Attorney General Alberto Gonzales submitted the Report to the… Continue Reading
Financial Crisis Inquiry Commission Issues Subpoena to Moodys Corporation
News release: “Today, Chairman Phil Angelides and Vice Chairman Bill Thomas announce that the Financial Crisis Inquiry Commission (FCIC) has issued a subpoena to Moodys Corporation for failing to comply with a request for documents in a timely manner. In seeking documents and testimony from public agencies and companies, the Commission has made it clear… Continue Reading
Residential Homebuilder Settles Clean Water Act Violations in 18 States
News release: “Hovnanian Enterprises, Inc., a builder of residential homes nationwide, has agreed today to pay a $1 million civil penalty to resolve alleged Clean Water Act violations at 591 construction sites in 18 states and the District of Columbia, the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) and the U.S. Justice Department announced today. As part… Continue Reading
FDA Announces Draft Revised Guidance on Transparency and Advisory Committees
News release: “The U.S. Food and Drug Administration today announced draft guidance that would expand transparency and disclosure when the agency grants a conflict of interest waiver to permit an individuals participation at an FDA advisory committee meeting. The draft guidance would expand the information disclosed about waivers prior to committee meetings. Specifically, the FDA… Continue Reading
FCC Takes Steps to Promote Nationwide Mobile Connectivity
News release: “The Federal Communications Commission took an important step today toward promoting nationwide mobile connectivity for consumers and encouraging continued mobile innovation, investment, and deployment. The Commissions Order on Reconsideration enhances mobile voice service through roaming agreements that provide consumers with access to other carriers networks. In a Second Further Notice of Proposed Rulemaking,… Continue Reading
New GAO Reports: Federal Reserve Banks, National Flood Insurance, NextGen Air Transport, Surface Transportation Security
Federal Reserve Banks: Areas for Improvement in Information Security Controls, GAO-10-640R, April 21, 2010 National Flood Insurance Program: Continued Actions Needed to Address Financial and Operational Issues, GAO-10-631T, April 21, 2010 Next Generation Air Transportation System: Challenges with Partner Agency and FAA Coordination Continue, and Efforts to Integrate Near-, Mid-, and Long-term Activities Are Ongoing,… Continue Reading
Six Biggest Bank Holding Companies Bring in $18.7 Billion First Quarter Profits
CNNMoney.com: “The six biggest bank holding companies – Bank of America (BAC, Fortune 500), JPMorgan Chase (JPM, Fortune 500), Citigroup (C, Fortune 500), Wells Fargo (WFC, Fortune 500), Goldman Sachs (GS, Fortune 500) and Morgan Stanley (MS, Fortune 500) – raked in $18.7 billion in profits in the first quarter. That’s more than six times… Continue Reading
Census Bureau Reports Nearly 6 in 10 Advanced Degree Holders Age 25-29 Are Women
News release: “The U.S. Census Bureau reported today more women than men are expected to occupy professions such as doctors, lawyers and college professors as they represent approximately 58 percent of young adults, age 25 to 29, who hold an advanced degree. In addition, among all adults 25 and older, more women than men had… Continue Reading
Brookings: The Financial Crisis' Effects on the Alternatives for Public Pensions
The Financial Crisis Effects on the Alternatives for Public Pensions, Pensions, Retirement, Quality-of-Life Issues, by Douglas J. Elliott, Fellow, Economic Studies, Initiative on Business and Public Policy, The Brookings Institution, April 15, 2010. “The recent financial crisis dramatically changed the situation of public pension plans and the alternatives available to them going forward. Most obviously,… Continue Reading
CDC: April is National Child Abuse Prevention Month
CDC’s Healthy Children resource homepage: “Approximately 772,000 children are confirmed by Child Protective Services each year as being abused or neglected. These confirmed cases, however, represent only a fraction of the true magnitude of the problem. Child maltreatment is a significant public health problem in the United States. In 2007, approximately 772,000 children were confirmed… Continue Reading
Bureau of Justice Assistance: Addressing Foreclosed and Abandoned Properties
Addressing Foreclosed and Abandoned Properties, by Roxann Pais and Robert V. Wolf “This Bureau of Justice Assistance sponsored fact sheet offers an array of ideas to address vacant and abandoned properties. The strategies in this guide–which have been culled from real-life approaches across the U.S.–are intended to assist law enforcement and government agencies seeking to… Continue Reading
