Amendments to the Foreign Intelligence Surveillance Act (FISA) Set to Expire, May 27, 2011 “The Foreign Intelligence Surveillance Act (FISA) provides a statutory framework by which government agencies may, when gathering foreign intelligence investigation, obtain authorization to conduct electronic surveillance2 or physical searches,3 utilize pen registers and trap and trace devices, or access specified business… Continue Reading
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Monthly Archives: May 2011
Briefing on the Status of NRC Response to Events in Japan and Briefing on Station Blackout
U.S. Nuclear Regulatory Commission: Briefing on the Status of NRC Response to Events in Japan and Briefing on Station Blackout, April 28, 2011 See also accompanying slides Continue Reading
EIA – Petroleum Marketing Monthly
Petroleum Marketing Monthly, May 2011 With Data for February 2011, Release date: May 2, 2011 “International political affairs along with supply and demand issues influenced trends in world crude oil prices during February. At the start of the month, continuing protests against Egyptian president Hosni Mubarak pushed prices for many key streams higher. Concern about… Continue Reading
Poll: Americans See Medicare, Social Security "Crisis" Within 10 Years
Gallup: “Two out of three Americans (67%) believe Social Security and Medicare costs are already creating a crisis for the federal government (34%) or will do so within 10 years (33%). The vast majority believe the programs will create a crisis at some point, with 7% believing the programs’ costs will not create a crisis… Continue Reading
Analyzing Cancer Risks Around Nuclear Facilities
News release: “Nuclear facilities licensed by the NRC routinely release very small amounts of radioactivity during normal operations. Even though the NRC closely monitors the plants and assures that these releases are well below regulatory limits, some community members remain concerned about potential health risks from these facilities. To address the concerns, the NRC has… Continue Reading
Freedom of the Press 2011 Survey Release
“Freedom of the Press 2011 identifies the greatest threats to independent media in 196 countries and territories. Released on May 2 as part of the UNESCO World Press Freedom Day celebration in Washington, D.C., the report shows that global media freedom has reached a new low point, contributing to an environment in which only one… Continue Reading
International Research Portal for Records Related to Nazi-Era Cultural Property
“The International Research Portal is a collaboration of national and other archival institutions with records that pertain to Nazi-Era cultural property. These archival institutions, along with expert national and international organizations, are working together to extend public access to the widely-dispersed records through a single internet portal. The portal will enable families to research their… Continue Reading
National Security Archive Posts Osama Bin Laden File
“The Al Qaeda leader Osama Bin Laden – killed in Pakistan by U.S. special operations forces yesterday, ranked as one of the most significant financial sponsors of Islamic terrorist activities in the world as early as 1996, according to declassified U.S. documents posted on the web today by the National Security Archive at George Washington… Continue Reading
EPA – Free Tools to Protect Health as Summer Smog Season Begins
News release: “Today is the beginning of Air Quality Awareness Week, a cooperative effort among EPA, state environmental agencies and the National Weather Service to remind the public to protect their health by paying attention to local air quality. With the onset of warmer weather, the EPA urges New Englanders to be aware of the… Continue Reading
New GAO Reports: Nuclear Weapons, National Drug Control Policy, Defense Biometrics
Nuclear Weapons: DOD and NNSA Need to Better Manage Scope of Future Refurbishments and Risks to Maintaining U.S. Commitments to NATO, GAO-11-387, May 02, 2011 Office of National Drug Control Policy: Agencies View the Budget Process as Useful for Identifying Priorities, but Challenges Exist, GAO-11-261R, May 02, 2011 Defense Biometrics: DOD Can Better Conform to… Continue Reading
U.S. Nuclear Waste Review Board – Uranium Supply and Demand
Uranium Supply and Demand: “Estimates of current and future supply of and demand for uranium, the source of the isotope uranium-235 used to fuel the overwhelming majority of nuclear power plants.” Deep Borehole Disposal of Spent Nuclear Fuel and High-Level Waste: “Deep borehole disposal is a type of geologic disposal in which spent nuclear fuel… Continue Reading
Bin Laden Raid Tweeted Live By Unsuspecting Neighbor
Via TPMMuckraker: “Until last night, Twitter use @ReallyVirtual had fewer than 1,000 followers. Yesterday he was Tweeting about a strange event in his neighborhood in Abbottabad, Pakistan. Turns out he was unknowingly chronicling the undercover raid which killed Osama bin Laden, as it happened. “ReallyVirtual”, who identifies himself as Sohaib Athar, says he’s an “IT… Continue Reading
