“Those with access to private jets fly around the globe on a whim, their flight paths generally hidden from view. But The Wall Street Journal has penetrated this hidden world and, as the FAA considers publishing data on private-aircraft flights, the Journal unveils its own database.” Wall Street Journal Jet Tracker Continue Reading
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Monthly Archives: May 2011
Impact of the Global Crisis on Banking Sector Soundness in Asian Low-Income Countries
Impact of the Global Crisis on Banking Sector Soundness in Asian Low-Income Countries, Jack Joo K. Ree. May 2011 “The paper takes stock of the impact of the global financial crisis that began in late 2007 on banking sectors of Asian low-income countries, by exploring bank-level data provided by Bankscope. The paper examines three key… Continue Reading
BEA Survey of Current Business, May 2011
Bureau of Economic Analysis Survey of Current Business, May 2011 “A Research Spotlight presents RPP estimates for the 50 states and the District of Columbia and for metropolitan areas for 20052009. The article also presents per capita personal income estimates adjusted with RPPs and describes the updated methodology used to derive the RPPs. In another… Continue Reading
What are greenhouse gases and how much are emitted by the United States?
What are greenhouse gases and how much are emitted by the United States? Greenhouse gases trap heat from the sun and warm the planet’s surface. Of U.S. greenhouse gas emissions, 87% are related to energy consumption. From 1990 to 2009, greenhouse gas emissions in the United States have grown by about 0.04% per year. The… Continue Reading
Book Reviews: The Economics of Unhappiness
The Chronicle of Higher Education: “The American tradition is to enshrine economic activity as a central element of “the pursuit of happiness.” In reality, however, economic activity is largely concerned with the relief of unhappiness. At the subsistence level of economic activity that has prevailed through most of human history, people must work to eat… Continue Reading
Google Terminates Digitizing Newspaper Archives
SearchEngineLand: “Googles ambitious effort to digitize the worlds newspaper archives and make them available online has come to an end. The project launched in 2008, and it currently has digitized material from what looks like about 2,000 newspapers including the Milwaukee Sentinel, whose July 21, 1969 front page is shown at right.” Continue Reading
SEC Proposes Rules to Increase Transparency and Improve Integrity of Credit Ratings
Fact Sheet: “The Securities and Exchange Commission [May 18, 2011] voted unanimously to propose new rules and amendments intended to increase transparency and improve the integrity of credit ratings. The proposed rules would implement certain provisions of the Dodd-Frank Wall Street Reform and Consumer Protection Act and enhance the SECs existing rules governing credit ratings… Continue Reading
WaPo: Where are the jobs?
Washington Post: “The recession and financial crisis had a great toll on workers, leading employers to shed jobs by the millions. While the economy is expanding again, jobs are being added slowly and unevenly. See which sectors are adding jobs and which are still in bad shape” Charts include: Manufacturing, Professional Services, Trade/Transportation. Related postings… Continue Reading
Rand: Reporters on the Battlefield – The Embedded Press System in Historical Context
Reporters on the Battlefield – The Embedded Press System in Historical Context, by Christopher Paul, James J. Kim “Clear differences between the missions and goals of the press and those of the military, particularly centering around the issues of access and operational security, make historical tensions between the two unsurprising and complete avoidance of tension… Continue Reading
BLS: Regional and State Employment and Unemployment, April 2011
News release: “Regional and state unemployment rates were generally little changed or slightly lower in April. Thirty-nine states recorded unemployment rate decreases, three states and the District of Columbia registered rate increases, and eight states had no rate change, the U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics reported today. Forty-six states and the District of Columbia posted… Continue Reading
Rand – Highway Infrastructure and the Economy: Implications for Federal Policy
Highway Infrastructure and the Economy: Implications for Federal Policy, Howard J. Shatz, Karin E. Kitchens, Sandra Rosenbloom, Martin Wachs “The U.S. government has at times premised investment in highway infrastructure on the belief that it contributes to economic growth. However, the economic effects of highway infrastructure remain a matter of debate. Politicians and policy analysts… Continue Reading
OCC Orders Servicers to Fix Foreclosure Practices
News release: “The Office of the Comptroller of the Currency (OCC) issued guidance today that provides a clear statement of expectations for banks that use quantitative models in any aspect of their business. The guidance addresses “model risk,” which is the potential for damage when models play a material role in bank decision making.The new… Continue Reading
