Follow up to DHS IG – Customs and Border Protection Use of Unmanned Aircraft Systems in Nations Border Security – via EFF: “DHSs Office of Inspector General (OIG) recently released a report (pdf) detailing multiple problems with the drones used to patrol US borders. This report, combined with the Federal Aviation Administrations lack of openness… Continue Reading
Accurate, Focused Research on Law, Technology and Knowledge Discovery Since 2002
Monthly Archives: June 2012
Trends in Employment-Based Coverage Among Workers, and Access to Coverage Among Uninsured Workers, 1995‒2011
Trends in Employment-Based Coverage Among Workers, and Access to Coverage Among Uninsured Workers, 1995‒2011, by Paul Fronstin, Ph.D., EBRI, May 2012 “Between December 2007August 2009, the percentage of workers with employment-based coverage in their own name fell from 60.4 percent to 55.9 percent, recovering to 56.5 percent by December 2009. However, by April 2011, the… Continue Reading
Trends in Maternal Mortality: 1990-2010 from the World Health Organization
Trends in Maternal Mortality: 1990-2010 [UNFPA, UNICEF, WHO, World Bank]: “Globally, the total number of maternal deaths decreased by from 543 000 in 1990 to 287 000 in 2010. Likewise, the global maternal mortality ratio (MMR) declined from 400 maternal deaths per 100 000 live births in 1990 to 210 in 2010, representing an average… Continue Reading
US Ignite Launches to Catalyze the Next Generation of Internet Applications
“US Ignite is an initiative to promote US leadership in developing applications and services for ultra-fast broadband and software-defined networks. It will foster the creation of novel applications and digital experiences that will transform healthcare, education and job skills training, public safety, energy, and advanced manufacturing. By serving as a coordinator and incubator of this… Continue Reading
New GAO Reports – Indian Health Service, Managing for Results
Indian Health Service – Action Needed to Ensure Equitable Allocation of Resources for the Contract Health Service Program, GAO-12-446, June 15, 2012 Managing for Results – A Guide for Using the GPRA Modernization Act to Help Inform Congressional Decision Making, GAO-12-621SP, June 15, 2012 [GPRA – Government Performance and Results Act of 1993] Continue Reading
New Evidence on the Tax Elasticity of Capital Gains: Working Paper 2012-09
CBO – New Evidence on the Tax Elasticity of Capital Gains: Working Paper 2012-09 “This study uses a large panel of tax returns from 1999 to 2008 to investigate how taxes affect the decision to realize gains. The study distinguishes the persistent effect of tax changes from the transitory effect. Similar to earlier studies in… Continue Reading
CBO – Raising the Excise Tax on Cigarettes: Effects on Health and the Federal Budget
Raising the Excise Tax on Cigarettes: Effects on Health and the Federal Budget, June 2012 “The federal government spends roughly $1 trillion on health care programs each year, so it is easy to imagine that policies that promote a healthier population could have a significant impact on the federal budget. This study uses a policy… Continue Reading
UK Mail reports Google and Apple deploying advanced satellite surveillance
Mail Online: “Spy planes able to photograph sunbathers in their back gardens are being deployed by Google and Apple. The U.S. technology giants are racing to produce aerial maps so detailed they can show up objects just four inches wide. But campaigners say the technology is a sinister development that brings the surveillance society a… Continue Reading
EFF – How to Turn on Do Not Track in Your Browser
“In recent years, online tracking companies have begun to monitor our clicks, searches and reading habits as we move around the Internet. If you are concerned about pervasive online web tracking by behavioral advertisers, then you may want to enable Do Not Track on your web browser. Do Not Track is unique in that it… Continue Reading
New GAO Reports – Delayed-Baggage Trends, Joint Strike Fighter, National Medicaid Audit Program
Transportation – Delayed-Baggage Trends and Options for Compensating Passengers, GAO-12-804R, June 14, 2012 Joint Strike Fighter – DOD Actions Needed to Further Enhance Restructuring and Address Affordability Risks, GAO-12-437, June 14, 2012 National Medicaid Audit Program – CMS Should Improve Reporting and Focus on Audit Collaboration with States, GAO-12-627, June 14, 2012 National Medicaid Audit… Continue Reading
CFPB publishes thousands of comments on private student loans
News release: “Making sure that borrowers have clear information to make the best possible choice is critical. But borrowers have told us they didnt know that private student loans dont always have the same repayment options as federal student loans. These options allow borrowers to cap their payments as a portion of their income … Continue Reading
DHS IG – Customs and Border Protection Use of Unmanned Aircraft Systems in Nations Border Security
DHS OIG – CBPs Use of Unmanned Aircraft Systems in the Nations Border Security, OIG-12-85, May 2012 “We conducted a review of U.S. Customs and Border Protection (CBP) actions to establish its unmanned aircraft systems program. The purpose of the program is to provide reconnaissance, surveillance, targeting, and acquisition capabilities across all CBP areas of… Continue Reading
