Obama Administration Fulfills Some Open Gov Goals, National Security Bureaucracy Hinders Progress – “The Obama Administration has made some positive changes towards an open government this year, but the national security bureaucracy continues to hinder progress, according to a report released today. The 2011 Secrecy Report was released by OpenTheGovernment.org, a coalition of more than 80 groups (including POGO) advocating for a more open and accountable government. According to the report, some of the Obama Administrations promises of transparency are paying offbut certain national security agencies are ignoring the open government agenda. Some of the good news highlighted in the report centers on the Freedom of Information Act (FOIA). The Administration has been rebuilding openness and FOIA performance has improved from previous years. Compared to 2009, FOIA backlogs in 2010 were reduced by 10 percent.Other moves the Obama Administration has made towards transparency include releasing newly declassified details about the U.S. nuclear stockpile, updating sites like FederalReporting.gov and USAspending.gov, and refusing to assert Executive Privilege to deny congressional requests for information (Obama is the first president in OpenTheGovernment.orgs records not to do so.)…The report points to an Associated Press study that found that the Central Intelligence Agency and Securities and Exchange Commission rejected information requests more than half the time during 2010.”
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Daily Archives: September 6, 2011
CDC September 2011 Vital Signs Issue: Adult Smoking in the US
Adult Smoking in the US, Vital Signs, September 2011: “Tobacco use remains the single largest preventable cause of disease, disability, and death in the US. Some people who smoke every day are smoking fewer cigarettes; however, even occasional smoking causes harm. The percentage of American adults who smoke decreased from 20.9% in 2005 to 19.3%… Continue Reading
Pew Report: 28% of American adults use mobile and social location-based services
28% of American adults use mobile and social location-based services: “55% of smartphone owners use their phones to get location-based directions or recommendations, while geosocial services and location-tagging features are less popular,” by Kathryn Zickuhr, Research Specialist and Aaron Smith, Senior Research Specialist, 9/6/2011 Continue Reading
New GAO Reports: Bureau of Prisons, Actions Needed to Stave off Financial USPS Insolvency
Bureau of Prisons – Improved Evaluations and Increased Coordination Could Improve Cell Phone Detection, GAO-11-893, September 6, 2011 U.S. Postal Service – Actions Needed to Stave off Financial Insolvency, GAO-11-926T, September 6, 2011 Continue Reading
New York Magazine – The Encyclopedia of 9/11
The Encyclopedia of 9/11: “Here in New York City, we heard it first, the drone of the plane down the West Side, surprisingly loud. Then, if we were outside, our heads pointed in the right direction, we could see it: the dull-red gash in the North Tower, smoking ominously. Just as wed begun to absorb… Continue Reading
UK Telegraph: Internet and supermarkets kill off 2,000 bookshops
James Hall, Consumer Affairs Editor – “Heavy discounting by supermarkets, the rise of internet retailers and the growing popularity of e-readers such as the Kindle have forced nearly 2,000 bookshops to close since 2005. There were 2,178 high street bookshops left in Britain in July, according to research carried out by Experian, the data company,… Continue Reading
Glassfoor.com: Top 25 Companies for Career Opportunities
Top Companies for Career Opportunities (2011) – “Employees have reported how their companies rate when it comes to opportunities for professional growth and career advancement find out which 25 companies rate the highest.” See also Best Places to Work Employees’ Choice Awards – “Glassdoor.com is excited to announce our third annual Employees’ Choice… Continue Reading
Nursing and physician attire as possible source of nosocomial infections
“Uniforms worn by medical and nursing staff are not usually considered important in the transmission of microorganisms. We investigated the rate of potentially pathogenic bacteria present on uniforms worn by hospital staff, as well as the bacterial load of these microorganisms…Up to 60% of hospital staffs uniforms are colonized with potentially pathogenic bacteria, including drug-resistant… Continue Reading
Shared National Credits Program 2011 Review
Shared National Credits Review for 2011, August 2011 “The interagency Shared National Credits (SNC) Review for 2011 indicates that credit quality improved for the second consecutive year for large corporate loans and loan commitments held by U.S. bank organizations, foreign bank organizations (FBO), and nonbanks, such as securitization pools, hedge funds, insurance companies, and pension… Continue Reading
Use of Victim Service Agencies by Victims of Serious Violent Crime, 1993-2009
Victim Service Agencies by Victims of Serious Violent Crime, 1993-2009 (NCJ 234212), by BJS statistician Lynn Langton: “Presents data from the National Crime Victimization Survey (NCVS) on trends in the percentage of serious violent crime victims who received help or advice from a victim service agency from 1993 to 2009. This special report examines the… Continue Reading
