News release: “U.S. Department of Health and Human Services (HHS) Secretary Kathleen Sebelius and U.S. Associate Attorney General Thomas J. Perrelli today announced a new report showing that the governments health care fraud prevention and enforcement efforts recovered more than $4 billion in taxpayer dollars in Fiscal Year (FY) 2010. This is the highest annual… Continue Reading
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Monthly Archives: January 2011
China: Student Informant System to Expand, Limiting School Autonomy, Free Expression
Via FAS: China: Student Informant System to Expand, Limiting School Autonomy, Free Expression (U//FOUO – “Unclassified // For Official Use Only”)- 23 November 2010, CIA-DI-10-05021 [This report was prepared by the Open Source Works, which was charged by the Director for Intelligence with drawing on language trained analysts to mine open-source information for new or… Continue Reading
New GAO Reports: GAO's Performance, VA Health Care, Ryan White CARE Act
Summary of GAO’s Performance and Financial Information Fiscal Year 2010, GAO-11-3SP, January 24, 2011 VA Health Care: VA Spends Millions on Post-Traumatic Stress Disorder Research and Incorporates Research Outcomes into Guidelines and Policy for Post-Traumatic Stress Disorder Services, GAO-11-32, January 24, 2011 Ryan White CARE Act: Estimated Effect of Draft Stop-Loss Provision, GAO-11-322R, January 21,… Continue Reading
Do-Not-Track" Option Now on IE, Firefox and Chrome
National Journal: Google and Mozilla both announced that they will be adding “do-not-track” options to their Internet browsers, allowing users to prevent websites from gathering personal information and selling it to advertisers. Mozilla announced its plan Sunday with Google following suit Monday. According to a company statement, Google’s “Keep My Op-Outs” feature will be available… Continue Reading
National Archives Discovers Date Change on Lincoln Record
News release: “Archivist of the United States David S. Ferriero announced today that Thomas Lowry, a long-time Lincoln researcher from Woodbridge, VA, confessed on January 12, 2011, to altering an Abraham Lincoln Presidential pardon that is part of the permanent records of the U.S. National Archives. The pardon was for Patrick Murphy, a Civil War… Continue Reading
OCLC – Perceptions of Libraries, 2010: Context and Community
“OCLC’s newest membership report, Perceptions of Libraries, 2010, a sequel to the 2005 Perceptions of Libraries and Information Resources, is now available. The new report provides updated information and new insights into information consumers and their online habits, preferences, and perceptions. Particular attention was paid to how the current economic downturn has affected the information-seeking… Continue Reading
Conference Board – Global Business Cycle Indicators
“The Conference Board Leading Economic Index® (LEI) for the U.S. increased 1.0 percent in December to 112.4 (2004 = 100), following a 1.1 percent increase in November, and a 0.4 percent increase in October. Says Ataman Ozyildirim, economist at The Conference Board: While the LEI points to an economic expansion that is gaining further traction,… Continue Reading
The UK National Identity Card and the Identification Card for EEA nationals ceased to be valid legal documents on 21 January 2011
UK Home Office: “The Government began the process of scrapping identity cards by introducing the Identity Documents Bill to Parliament on 26 May 2010. The Bill made provision for the cancellation of the UK National Identity Card, the Identification Card for EEA nationals and the destruction of the National Identity Register. This Bill has completed… Continue Reading
SEC Releases Staff Study Recommending a Uniform Fiduciary Standard of Conduct for Broker-Dealers and Investment Advisers
News release: “The Securities and Exchange Commission submitted to Congress a staff study recommending a uniform fiduciary standard of conduct for broker-dealers and investment advisers — no less stringent than currently applied to investment advisers under the Advisers Act — when those financial professionals provide personalized investment advice about securities to retail investors. The study,… Continue Reading
CBO: Spending and Funding for Highways
Spending and Funding for Highways, Economic and Budget Issue Brief, January 20, 2011 “The nation’s network of highways plays a vital role in the U.S. economy; private commercial activity and people’s daily lives depend on that transportation infrastructure. In 2007, the public sector spent $146 billion to build, operate, and maintain highways in the United… Continue Reading
CBO – Analysis of Federal Civilian and Military Compensation
Analysis of Federal Civilian and Military Compensation, January 20, 2011 Letter to the Honorable Steny H. Hoyer “The Congressional Budget Office (CBO) was asked to compare federal civilian and military compensation. Total compensation can be divided into three components:cash compensation (including pay, cash allowances, and bonuses); noncash benefits (such as subsidized health insurance and child… Continue Reading
Who Does Justice Look Like? Images of the symbol of law
Follow up to Justice Scalia’s Comments on equal protection clause of the 14th Amendment to the U.S. Constitution, via Slate – Who Does Justice Look Like? Her changing features and skin color over the centuries, by Dennis Curtis and Judith Resnik “Justice Antonin Scalia recently reminded us that when the 14th Amendment was… Continue Reading
