News release: “The Financial Crimes Enforcement Network (FinCEN) today, in its First Quarter 2011 Mortgage Loan Fraud (MLF) analysis, reported that the number of MLF suspicious activity reports (SARs) rose to 25,485 up 31 percent from 19,420 in the first quarter of 2010. FinCEN attributes the increase to large mortgage lenders conducting additional reviews after… Continue Reading
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Monthly Archives: June 2011
Introducing the Google+ project: Real-life sharing, rethought for the web
Official Google Blog: “Among the most basic of human needs is the need to connect with others. With a smile, a laugh, a whisper or a cheer, we connect with others every single day. Today, the connections between people increasingly happen online. Yet the subtlety and substance of real-world interactions are lost in the rigidness… Continue Reading
New GAO Reports: Financial Literacy, Tax Gap, Farm Bill
Financial Literacy: A Federal Certification Process for Providers Would Pose Challenges, GAO-11-614, June 28, 2011 Tax Gap: Complexity and Taxpayer Compliance, GAO-11-747T, June 28, 2011 U.S. Department of Agriculture: More Effective Management and Performance Can Help Implementation of the Farm Bill, GAO-11-779T, June 23, 2011 Continue Reading
NOAA State of the Climate in 2010
State of the Climate in 2010, National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration, National Climatic Data Center, June 2011 (Vol. 92) Bulletin of the American Meteorological Society (BAMS). “The primary goal of the annual State of the Climate collection of articles is to document the weather and climate events of the most recent calendar year and put… Continue Reading
World Drug Report 2011: Drug markets stable but consumption of synthetic and prescription drugs rises
News release: “While global markets for cocaine, heroin and cannabis have declined or remained stable, the production and abuse of prescription opioid drugs and new synthetic drugs have risen, according to the World Drug Report 2011. Illicit cultivation of opium poppy and coca bush have remained limited to a few countries. Although there has been… Continue Reading
14th edition of Nations in Transit
News release: “The authoritarian countries of the former Soviet Union have built governance systems that are resistant to reform and therefore increasingly vulnerable to unpredictable crises of the sort recently seen in the Middle East and North Africa, according to a new study released by Freedom House. Nations in Transit 2011, the latest edition of… Continue Reading
Pew Study: E-Reader Ownership Doubles in Six Months
E-reader Ownership Doubles in Six Months – Adoption rate of e-readers surges ahead of tablet computers, Kristen Purcell, Associate Director for Research, Pew Internet Project, June 27, 2011 “The percent of U.S. adults with an e-book reader doubled from 6% to 12% between November 2010 and May 2011. Hispanic adults, adults younger than age 65,… Continue Reading
EPIC v. DHS Lawsuit — FOIA'd Documents Raise New Questions About Body Scanner Radiation Risks
EPIC: “In a FOIA lawsuit against the Department of Homeland Security, EPIC has just obtained documents concerning the radiation risks of TSA’s airport body scanner program. The documents include agency emails, radiation studies, memoranda of agreement concerning radiation testing programs, and results of some radiation tests. One document set reveals that even after TSA employees… Continue Reading
Reaching the Debt Limit: Background and Potential Effects on Government Operations
CRS – Reaching the Debt Limit: Background and Potential Effects on Government Operations, June 3, 2011 “The gross federal debt, which represents the federal governments total outstanding debt, consists of two types of debt: (1) debt held by the public and (2) debt held in government accounts, also known as intragovernmental debt. Federal government borrowing… Continue Reading
The Economist: interactive guide to Europe's troubled economies
Europe’s economies – Strong core, pain on the periphery: “This interactive graphic (updated May 17, 2011) illustrates some of the problems that the European economy faces. GDP picked up in most countries through 2010 but there were marked differences in performance. Germany was especially sprightly: its economy expanded by almost 5% in the year to… Continue Reading
Global shocks to become more frequent, says OECD
OECD Reviews of Risk Management Policies – Future Global Shocks – Improving Risk Governance, June 2011 “This report on future global shocks begins the next phase of OECD reviews of risk management policies. In the wake of the 2008 financial crisis global leaders are acutely aware that another systemic shock could severely challenge economic recovery,… Continue Reading
Know Your Digital Rights guide from EFF
Know Your Rights! by Hanni Fakhoury, EFF Staff Attorney, June 2011 “Your computer, your phone, and your other digital devices hold vast amounts of personal information about you and your family. This is sensitive data thats worth protecting from prying eyes including those of the government. The Fourth Amendment to the Constitution protects you… Continue Reading
