Report on the Troubled Asset Relief Program, March 29, 2011: “In October 2008, the Emergency Economic Stabilization Act of 2008 (Division A of Public Law 110-343) established the Troubled Asset Relief Program (TARP) to enable the Department of the Treasury to promote stability in financial markets through the purchase and guarantee of “troubled assets.” Section… Continue Reading
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Monthly Archives: March 2011
German study reports on mobile phone tracking of personal lives
Via EFF: “Your cell phone company knows everywhere you go, twenty-four hours a day, every day. How concrete is this fact for you? It’s very concrete for Malte Spitz, a German politician and privacy advocate. He used German privacy law which, like the law of many European countries, gives individuals a right to see… Continue Reading
Correcting over-reliance on contractors in contingency operations
Commission on Wartime Contracting in Iraq and Afghanistan – At what risk? Correcting over-reliance on contractors in contingency operations, Second Interim Report to Congress, Recommendations for Legislative and Policy Changes Commission, February 24, 2011 “Federal reliance on contractors to support defense, diplomatic, and development missions during contingency operations stands at unprecedented levels. Over the course… Continue Reading
Agencies Announce Consideration of Risk Retention Notice of Proposed Rulemaking
News release: “The staffs of the Office of the Comptroller of the Currency, the Federal Reserve, the Federal Deposit Insurance Corporation, the U.S. Securities and Exchange Commission, the Federal Housing Finance Agency, and the Department of Housing and Urban Development (together, the agencies) announced that the agencies this week are considering for approval a notice… Continue Reading
FCC Releases New Data on Internet Access Services, Local Telephone Competition
Internet Access Services: Status as of June 30, 2010, Industry Analysis and Technology Division, Wireline Competition Bureau, March 2011: “This report summarizes information about Internet access connections over 200 kilobits per second (kbps) in at least one direction in service in the United States on June 30, 2010, as collected by FCC Form 477. Form… Continue Reading
Middle-East and African Governments Censoring Citizens Using Western Technologies
News release: “Today, the OpenNet Initiative, a partnership between the Citizen Lab at the Munk School of Global Affairs (Munk School) and the Berkman Center for Internet and Society at Harvard University, announced the release of a new report titled West Censoring East: The Use of Western Technologies by Middle East Censors, 2010-2011 by Helmi… Continue Reading
Homes have more energy-efficient appliances, but the efficiency gains are partly offset by more consumer electronics
News release: “While most home appliances have become more efficient over the past 30 years, the average U.S. household uses many more consumer electronics in particular, personal computers, televisions and related devices, according to data released today by the U.S. Energy Information Administration (EIA) in the latest update to its Residential Energy Consumption Survey.… Continue Reading
Federal Reserve Flow of Funds Guide
Flow of Funds Guide: “This interactive documentation serves as a guide to the data compiled and published as part of the Flow of Funds Accounts of the United States (Z.1) data release and the Integrated Macroeconomic Accounts. This comprehensive documentation system is designed to help a user understand the links between series and underlying source… Continue Reading
Liquid fuels production in Middle Eastern and North African countries
“Middle Eastern and North African (MENA) countries supplied about 30 million barrels per day (mmb/d) of liquid fuels in 2010, or more than one-third (see chart) of the estimated total worldwide daily supply of 86.3 mmb/d. Three countries: Saudi Arabia (10.07 mmb/d), Iran (4.25 mmb/d), and the United Arab Emirates (2.81 mmb/d), accounted for about… Continue Reading
American Banker – Details of Regulators' Plan for Risk Retention, QRMs
American Banker: “One of the most important pieces of the Dodd-Frank Act is set to start falling into place Tuesday as regulators offer a plan that would establish stringent underwriting standards for most mortgages, provide limited new rules for servicers, and detail how institutions must retain some risk of loans they intend to sell to… Continue Reading
DHS – Enabling Distributed Security in Cyberspace
Enabling Distributed Security in Cyberspace – Building a Healthy and Resilient Cyber Ecosystem with Automated Collective Action, March 23, 2011 “Like natural ecosystems, the cyber ecosystem comprises a variety of diverse participants private firms, non‐profits, governments, individuals, processes, and cyber devices (computers, software, and communications technologies) that interact for multiple purposes. Today in… Continue Reading
DOT Launches Online Database of Hazardous Materials Incident Report
“The U.S. Department of Transportations Pipeline and Hazardous Materials Safety Administration (PHMSA) has launched an online database of hazardous materials incident summary reports. The annual and 10-year summary reports include the number of incidents related to specific causes, the number of injuries or fatalities, as well the cost of damages. Users can download up-to-date, useful… Continue Reading
