Current Spending Topics: How do U.S. expenditures compare with those of other countries? “In Japan, consumers spent more than 17 percent of every yen on groceries, more than twice the 8.3 percent of every dollar that Americans spent. In the United States, households spent almost 7 cents of every dollar on health care, compared with… Continue Reading
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Monthly Archives: March 2012
FFIEC Releases Supplemental Guidance on Internet Banking Authentication
News release: “The Federal Financial Institutions Examination Council (FFIEC) issued a Supplement to the Authentication in an Internet Banking Environment guidance, issued in October 2005. The purpose of the supplement is to reinforce the risk-management framework described in the original guidance and update the FFIEC member agencies’ supervisory expectations regarding customer authentication, layered security, and… Continue Reading
Report – Trends in international arms transfers, 2011
Trends in international arms transfers, 2011 – Paul Holtom, Mark Bromley, Pieter D. Wezeman and Siemon T. Wezeman, Stockholm International Peace Research Institute “The SIPRI Arms Transfers Database now contains information on all international transfers of major conventional weapons from 1950 to the end of 2011. It is the only publicly available resource providing consistent… Continue Reading
Report – Iran's Global Cat-And-Mouse Game on Sanctions
Iran’s Global Cat-And-Mouse Game on Sanctions – On the docks of Singapore, in the registries of Malta, and in global shipping data, a tale of Irans efforts to dodge sanctions – by Rachel Armstrong, Stephen Grey and Mimanshu Ojha – Reuters, February 2012 “Washington and European capitals want to stop or slow Irans nuclear programme.… Continue Reading
Cisco Visual Networking Index: Global Mobile Data Traffic Forecast Update, 20112016
Cisco Visual Networking Index: Global Mobile Data Traffic Forecast Update, 20112016 “Global mobile data traffic grew 2.3-fold in 2011, more than doubling for the fourth year in a row. The 2011 mobile data traffic growth rate was higher than anticipated. Last year’s forecast projected that the growth rate would be 131 percent. This year’s estimate… Continue Reading
The SIPRI Top 100 arms-producing and military services companies, 2010
News release: “The total arms sales (including sales of military services) of the SIPRI Top 100 maintained their upward trend in 2010, although at 1 per cent in real terms, the increase was much slower than in 2009. Over the period since 2002, the increase has been 60 per cent in real terms. Arms-producing and… Continue Reading
The Web Is Dead? No. Experts expect apps and Web to converge in the cloud
Pew: The Web Is Dead? No. Experts expect apps and the Web to converge in the cloud; but many worry that simplicity for users will come at a price, Janna Quitney Anderson, Elon University – Lee Rainie, Pew Research Centers Internet & American Life Project, March 23, 2012 “According to estimates by Cisco, by 2016… Continue Reading
New GAO Reports – IT Supply Chain, Nursing Homes, DISH Network
IT Supply Chain – National Security-Related Agencies Need to Better Address Risks, GAO-12-361, Mar 23, 2012 Nursing Homes – CMS Needs Milestones and Timelines to Ensure Goals for the Five-Star Quality Rating System Are Met, GAO-12-390, Mar 23, 2012 Telecommunications – To Date, DISH Network Is Cooperating with the Court-Appointed Special Master’s Examination of Its… Continue Reading
Links to Some Presentations from Computers in Libraries
Computers in Libraries 2012 – access the presentations online using this link. Continue Reading
U.S. Intelligence: Hiding of Military Assets by "Rogue Nations" and Other States a Major Security Challenge for 21st Century
Jeffrey T. Richelson: “A central element of the current debate over how to deal with Iran’s nuclear program has focused on the possible difficulty of destroying the Qom underground uranium enrichment facility via air strikes. However, documents posted today by the National Security Archive show that Qom is only the latest in a long series… Continue Reading
FHFA's Oversight of Fannie Maes Single-Family Underwriting Standards
FHFAs Oversight of Fannie Maes Single-Family Underwriting Standards, Audit Report: AUD-2012-003, March 22, 2012 “Although FHFA has taken steps to ensure that the mortgages that the Enterprises purchase conform to underwriting standards, the Agencys oversight of underwriting is limited. FHFA informally reviews Fannie Maes proposed credit policy changes, which may or may not affect underwriting… Continue Reading
DHS Privacy Office Limited Time Release of Privacy Impact Assessments
“Between December 1, 2011 and February 29, 2012 the Chief Privacy Officer of the DHS approved and published eleven Privacy Impact Assessments (PIAs) on the DHS Privacy Office Web site, under the link for Privacy Impact Assessments. These PIAs cover eleven separate DHS programs. Below is a short summary of those programs, indicating the DHS… Continue Reading
