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Daily Archives: June 9, 2010

Digitizing the past and present at the Library of Congress

Gallery: Digitizing the past and present at the Library of Congress, Rob Beschizza: “The Library of Congress has nearly 150 million items in its collection, including at least 21 million books, 5 million maps, 12.5 million photos and 100,000 posters. The largest library in the world, it pioneers both preservation of the oldest artifacts and digitization of the most recent–so that all of it remains available to future generations. I recently took a tour of two LoC departments that exemplify this mission: the Preservation Research and Testing Division in Washington, D.C., and the National Audio-Visual Conservation Center in Culpeper, Va. The library’s preservation specialists use the latest technology to study and scan ancient books, maps and other historical artifacts.”

EPA Moves to Terminate All Uses of Insecticide Endosulfan to Protect Health of Farmworkers and Wildlife

News release: “he U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) is taking action to end all uses of the insecticide endosulfan in the United States. Endosulfan, which is used on vegetables, fruits, and cotton, can pose unacceptable neurological and reproductive risks to farmworkers and wildlife and can persist in the environment. New data generated in response to… Continue Reading

Citing Iran’s failure to clarify nuclear ambitions, UN imposes additional sanctions

Follow up to International Atomic Energy Agency Report on Status of Iranian Nuclear Weapons Program, this news release: “The Security Council voted today to impose a fourth round of United Nations sanctions against Iran, while demanding that the country suspend its enrichment activities and peacefully resolve outstanding concerns over the nature of its nuclear programme.… Continue Reading

New GAO Reports: Military Readiness, National Security

Military Readiness: Navy Needs to Reassess Its Metrics and Assumptions for Ship Crewing Requirements and Training, GAO-10-592, June 09, 2010. National Security: Key Challenges and Solutions to Strengthen Interagency Collaboration, GAO-10-822T, June 09, 2010: “Federal agencies have an opportunity to enhance interagency collaboration by addressing long-standing problems and achieving meaningful results that better position the… Continue Reading

Government Sends BP A Message: Maximizing Discharge Recovery From the Source

Follow up to postings on the Gulf Coast oil spill, this letter to: Doug Suttles, Chief Operating Officer, Exploration & Production, BP America Inc. From: James A. Watson, Rear Admiral, U.S. Coast Guard, Federal On-Scene Coordinator: “The discharge of oil from the BP Deepwater Horizon oil spill is unprecedented in American history. This crisis has… Continue Reading

Fed Chair Bernanke – Economic and financial conditions and the federal budget

Testimony by Chairman Ben S. Bernanke – Economic and financial conditions and the federal budget, before the Committee on the Budget, U.S. House of Representatives, Washington, D.C., June 9, 2010 “The recovery in economic activity that began in the second half of last year has continued at a moderate pace so far this year. Moreover,… Continue Reading

Federal Reserve Beige Book, June 9, 2010

Full Report – Beige Book, June 9, 2010 – Summary of Commentary on Current Economic Conditions by Federal Reserve District, and link to reports by Districts: “Economic activity continued to improve since the last report across all twelve Federal Reserve Districts, although many Districts described the pace of growth as “modest.” Consumer spending and tourism… Continue Reading

The Early Retiree Reinsurance Program: $5 Billion Will Last About Two Years

The Early Retiree Reinsurance Program: $5 Billion Will Last About Two Years – July 2010, Vol. 31, No. 7, Employee Benefit Research Institute “The Patient Protection and Affordable Care Act (PPACA) of 2010 created a temporary reinsurance program for sponsors of employment-based health plans that provide retiree health benefits to retirees who are over age… Continue Reading