News release: “Global food prices increased for the eighth consecutive month in February, with prices of all commodity groups monitored rising again, except for sugar, FAO [UN food and Agriculture Organization] said today. FAO expects a tightening of the global cereal supply and demand balance in 2010/11. In the face of a growing demand and a decline in world cereal production in 2010, global cereal stocks this year are expected to fall sharply because of a decline in inventories of wheat and coarse grains. International cereal prices have increased sharply with export prices of major grains up at least 70 percent from February last year.”
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Daily Archives: March 2, 2011
DrawCongress.org
“A nonpartisan map of all 435 congressional districts in the nation has never been drawn. The widespread diffusion of redistricting technology and data and the training of a group of students dedicated to that purpose has made such a map possible for the first time. DrawCongress.org represents the first attempt to create an internet depository… Continue Reading
Inspector General Finds Homeland Security's Contract Management Process Noncompetitive
Follow up to previous postings on government implementation of whole body scanning technology at airports, via EPIC: “The Inspector General of the Department of Homeland Security released a report finding that the agency’s contract files did not “contain[] sufficient evidence of justification and approval, market research, and acquisition planning” for the $1.3 billion dollars in… Continue Reading
Federal Reserve Chairman Ben S. Bernanke Semiannual Monetary Policy Report to the Congress
Chairman Ben S. Bernanke Semiannual Monetary Policy Report to the Congress Before the Committee on Banking, Housing, and Urban Affairs, U.S. Senate, Washington, D.C. March 1, 2011 “The Economic Outlook – Following the stabilization of economic activity in mid-2009, the U.S. economy is now in its seventh quarter of growth; last quarter, for the first… Continue Reading
FTC Steps Up Efforts Against Scams That Target Financially-Strapped Consumers
More Than 90 Actions Brought By Commission and Its Law Enforcement Partners: “The Federal Trade Commission today stepped up its ongoing campaign against scammers who falsely promise guaranteed jobs and opportunities to be your own boss to consumers who are struggling with unemployment and diminished incomes as a consequence of the economic downturn. Operation Empty… Continue Reading
New GAO Reports: DOD Education Benefits, Elder Justice, EPA, Medicare, TARP, USPS, VA Real Property
DOD Education Benefits: Further Actions Needed to Improve Oversight of Tuition Assistance Program, GAO-11-389T, March 02, 2011 Elder Justice: Stronger Federal Leadership Could Enhance National Response to Elder Abuse, GAO-11-208, March 02, 2011 Elder Justice: Stronger Federal Leadership Could Help Improve Response to Elder Abuse, GAO-11-384T, March 02, 2011 Environmental Protection Agency: Major Management Challenges,… Continue Reading
Federal Reserve Beige Book, March 2, 2011
Full Report – Beige Book, March 2, 2011 and Links to the Districts – “Reports from the twelve Federal Reserve Districts indicated that overall economic activity continued to expand at a modest to moderate pace in January and early February. Both Kansas City and San Francisco noted that their economies expanded further. Boston and Philadelphia… Continue Reading
Removing References to Credit Ratings in Regulations; Proposing Alternatives to the Use of Credit Ratings
“NCUA [National Credit Union Administration] is proposing rules to implement certain statutory provisions in Title IX of the Dodd-Frank Wall Street Reform and Consumer Protection Act (the Dodd-Frank Act). The proposed rules replace or remove references to credit ratings in NCUA regulations. Comments must be received on or before May 2, 2011…The proposed rule generally… Continue Reading
Pew: States' Revenue Estimating – Cracks in the Crystal Ball
“States Revenue Estimating: Cracks in the Crystal Ball sheds new light on an understudied aspect of the budget gaps that nearly all states have faced during the Great Recession: revenue estimating errors. The Pew Center on the States and The Nelson A. Rockefeller Institute of Government partnered to undertake this analysis of 23 years of… Continue Reading
Federal Reserve Monetary Policy Report to the Congress
Monetary Policy Report to the Congress Submitted pursuant to section 2B of the Federal Reserve Act, March 1, 2011: “Economic activity in the United States expanded at a moderate pace, on average, in the second half of 2010 and early 2011. In the spring and early summer, a number of key indicators of economic activity… Continue Reading
2011 Trade Policy Agenda and 2010 Annual Report
2011 Trade Policy Agenda and 2010 Annual Report of the President of the United States on the Trade Agreements Program, Ambassador Ronald Kirk, Office of the United States Trade Representative, March 1, 2011. “Two-way trade is essential to American economic growth and success. Ninety-five percent of consumers reside beyond our borders, and the International Monetary… Continue Reading
