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Monthly Archives: May 2012

Consumer Reports – Facebook & your privacy

Who sees the data you share on the biggest social network? Consumer Reports magazine: June 2012 “if you’re reading this article, chances are good you have a page on Facebook, too. More than 150 million Americans already use the site, and the number grows daily because Facebook makes it so easy to keep up with… Continue Reading

New GAO Report – Air Transportation of Nuclear Weapons

Nuclear Weapons – Evaluation of Report on Feasibility of Increasing Air Transportation of Nuclear Weapons, Components, and Materials GAO-12-577R, May 4, 2012 “Transporting nuclear weapons, components, and materials represents a safety and security risk. House Report 110-652, which accompanied the National Defense Authorization Act for Fiscal Year 2009 (Pub. L. No. 110-417), directed the National… Continue Reading

Joint venture builds on MITx and Harvard distance learning; aims to benefit campus-based education and beyond

News release: “Harvard University and the Massachusetts Institute of Technology (MIT) today announced edX, a transformational new partnership in online education. Through edX, the two institutions will collaborate to enhance campus-based teaching and learning and build a global community of online learners. EdX will build on both universities’ experience in offering online instructional content. The… Continue Reading

Bureau of Land Management proposing rule to regulate hydraulic fracturing on public land

Follow up to previous postings on fracking, the “Bureau of Land Management (BLM) is proposing a rule to regulate hydraulic fracturing on public land and Indian land. The rule would (1) provide disclosure to the public of chemicals used in hydraulic fracturing on public land and Indian land, (2) strengthen regulations related to well-bore integrity,… Continue Reading

Investigation of a Multi-state Outbreak of Salmonella Infantis Linked to Dry Dog Food

News release: “The U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA) has been collaborating with the Centers for Disease Control (CDC) and state and local officials to investigate a multi-state outbreak of Salmonella Infantis infections. A total of 14 individuals infected with the outbreak strain have been reported from nine states. For complete details on the cases,… Continue Reading

TRAC: Recent Rise in Federal Suits to Recover Student Loans

“The latest month-by-month data from the federal courts shows that in March of this year the government reported that it had sued 279 individuals in order to seek recovery of defaulted student loans. According to the timely case-by-case case civil enforcement information analyzed by the Transactional Records Access Clearinghouse (TRAC), this count was 25.7% higher… Continue Reading

Commentary – 10 Changes to Expect from the Library of the Future

OnlineUniversities.com” 10 Changes to Expect from the Library of the Future: “Libraries have acted as community cornerstones for millennia, and every April marks School Library Month, celebrating how they promote education and awareness in an open, nurturing space. What makes them such lasting institutions, though, isn’t the mere act of preserving books and promoting knowledge.… Continue Reading

FEMA – The National Preparedness Report

“FEMA and its partners released the 2012 National Preparedness Report (NPR) identifying significant progress the nation has made in areas of prevention, protection, mitigation, response, and recovery. Overall the Report found that the nation has increased its collective preparedness, not only from external threats, but also for natural and technological hazards.” Continue Reading

New GAO Reports – Defense Inventory, Defense Logistics, Federal Land Management

Defense Inventory – Actions Underway to Implement Improvement Plan, but Steps Needed to Enhance Efforts, GAO-12-493, May 3, 2012 Defense Logistics, Improvements Needed to Enhance DOD’s Management Approach and Implementation of Item Unique Identification Technology, GAO-12-482, May 3, 2012 Federal Land Management – Availability and Potential Reliability of Selected Data Elements at Five Agencies, GAO-12-691T,… Continue Reading

FAS: Counterintelligence Surveillance Under FISA Grew in 2011

Secrecy News, Steven Aftergood: “In 2011, the US Government submitted 1,745 applications to the Foreign Intelligence Surveillance Court for authorization to conduct electronic surveillance or physical searches under the Foreign Intelligence Surveillance Act (FISA), according to a new annual report to Congress. Of these, 1,676 included requests for authority for perform electronic surveillance, the report… Continue Reading

Documents Captured During Bin Laden Raid Released by U.S. Military

Letters from Abbottabad: Bin Ladin Sidelined? May 03, 2012. Authors: Don Rassler, Gabriel Koehler-Derrick, Liam Collins, Muhammad al-Obaidi, Nelly Lahoud “This report is a study of 17 de-classified documents captured during the Abbottabad raid and released to the Combating Terrorism Center (CTC)/West Point. They consist of electronic letters or draft letters, totaling 175 pages in… Continue Reading