Dina Temple-Raston, NPR Counterterrorism Correspondent: “When U.S. commandos stormed Osama bin Laden’s compound earlier this month, they spent much of their time on the ground shoving papers, CDs and thumb drives into huge document bags strung around their necks. That sweep was considered an integral part of the operation, and it confirmed what the intelligence community had long believed: that bin Laden was obsessive about documenting everything. From its earliest days, al-Qaida leaders insisted on receipts. If fighters were buying a car for an operation, or even disc drives and floppy disks for their computers, they were required to return to base with a precise accounting of everything they had spent. Experts say that was the influence of bin Laden. Before he became the ideological leader of al-Qaida, he got an undergraduate degree in economics and public administration. He clearly applied what he learned to the organization…More proof of its corporate structure: As odd as it sounds, al-Qaida had excellent HR benefits…”
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Monthly Archives: May 2011
GAO Reports: Pediatric Research, Managing Critical Isotopes
Pediatric Research: Products Studied under Two Related Laws, but Improved Tracking Needed by FDA, GAO-11-457, May 31, 2011 Managing Critical Isotopes: Weaknesses in DOE’s Management of Helium-3 Delayed the Federal Response to a Critical Supply Shortage, GAO-11-472, May 12, 2011 Department of Energy: Progress Made Overseeing the Costs of Contractor Postretirement Benefits, but Additional Actions… Continue Reading
Pew Research: 24% of internet users have made phone calls online
24% of internet users have made phone calls online, Lee Rainie, Director, May 30, 2011 “After years of modest activity, online phone calling has taken off as 24% of online Americans say have placed calls using the internet A quarter of American adult internet users (24%) have placed phone calls online. That amounts to 19%… Continue Reading
WSJ – Pentagon Considers Cyberattacks as Acts of War
WSJ: “The Pentagon has concluded that computer sabotage coming from another country can constitute an act of war, a finding that for the first time opens the door for the U.S. to respond using traditional military force. The Pentagon’s first formal cyber strategy, unclassified portions of which are expected to become public next month, represents… Continue Reading
World Health Organization: Radio frequency electromagnetic fields are possibly carcinogenic
News release: “The WHO/International Agency for Research on Cancer (IARC) has classified radiofrequency electromagnetic fields as possibly carcinogenic to humans (Group 2B), based on an increased risk for glioma, a malignant type of brain cancer1, associated with wireless phone use.” Continue Reading
NOAA Fires, Floods and Severe Weather Continue as Main Threats Today
weather.gov: “Fire weather conditions continue across the Southwest and Southern Plains with a critical area affecting portions of southern Nevada and the Northern Mojave Desert. Meanwhile warming temperatures, continued precipitation and a high water-content snowpack continue the threat of flooding in eastern Montana and the Dakotas. A moderate risk of severe weather is forecasted for… Continue Reading
CRS: U.S. Postal Service Workforce Size and Employment Categories, 1990-2010
U.S. Postal Service Workforce Size and Employment Categories, 1990-2010 – Wendy R. Ginsberg, Analyst in Government Organization and Management. April 4, 2011 “This report provides data from the past 20 years on the size of the U.S. Postal Services (USPSs) workforce, including the number of persons employed by USPS by employment categories and the number… Continue Reading
FDA Inspection, Compliance Data Disclosure Transparency Increased With Release of Database
“The Food and Drug Administration (FDA) conducts careful inspections of regulated facilities to determine a sites compliance with regulations and the Food, Drug and Cosmetic Act. Inspections are one of many ways FDA protects the public health. The Agency is disclosing inspection information to help improve the publics understanding of how the FDA works to… Continue Reading
Treasury Releases Semi-Annual Report to Congress on International Economic and Exchange Rate Policies
News release: “The U.S. Department of the Treasury today released the Semi-Annual Report to Congress on International Economic and Exchange Rate Policies that is required under Sections 3004 and 3005 of the Omnibus Trade and Competitiveness Act of 1988. The Report covers international economic and foreign exchange developments in the second half of 2010. Where… Continue Reading
New Poll Reports Most Americans Oppose Converting Medicaid to a Block Grant in Order to Reduce the Federal Deficit
Kaiser Health Tracking Poll – May 2011: “Most Americans oppose the idea of converting Medicaid to block grant financing to reduce the federal deficit, and more than half want to see no reductions at all in Medicaid spending. One in five adults has received Medicaid benefits over time, and for most, experiences were positive, although… Continue Reading
Global imbalances and the financial crisis: Link or no link?
Global imbalances and the financial crisis: Link or no link? by Claudio Borio and Piti Disyatat, Working Papers No 346, May 2011. “Global current account imbalances have been at the forefront of policy debates over the past few years. Many observers have recently singled them out as a key factor contributing to the global financial… Continue Reading
G8 Declaration – Renewed Commitment For Freedom and Democracy
G8 Summit of Deauville – May 26-27, 2011: “We discussed new issues such as the Internet which are essential to our societies, economies and growth. For citizens, the Internet is a unique information and education tool, and thus helps to promote freedom, democracy and human rights. The Internet facilitates new forms of business and promotes… Continue Reading
