Econo Check: “Economic issues have taken center stage in this years elections, as the United States continues to stagger from the effects of recession and the 2008 global banking crisis. Candidates for federal, state and local offices are looking to tap into voter discontent about issues like unemployment, home foreclosures and the government spending. It… Continue Reading
Accurate, Focused Research on Law, Technology and Knowledge Discovery Since 2002
Monthly Archives: September 2012
CRS – U.S. Implementation of the Basel Capital Regulatory Framework
U.S. Implementation of the Basel Capital Regulatory Framework, Darryl E. Getter, Specialist in Financial Economics. September 20, 2012 “The Basel III international regulatory framework, which was produced in 2010 by the Basel Committee on Banking Supervision at the Bank for International Settlements, is the latest in a series of evolving agreements among central banks and… Continue Reading
SAT® Report: Only 43 Percent of 2012 College-Bound Seniors Are College Ready
News release: “The SAT Report on College & Career Readiness released today revealed that only 43 percent of SAT® takers in the class of 2012 graduated from high school with the level of academic preparedness associated with a high likelihood of college success. These findings are based on the percentage of students in the class… Continue Reading
CRS – Instances of Use of United States Armed Forces Abroad, 1798-2012
Instances of Use of United States Armed Forces Abroad, 1798-2012, updated September 19, 2012. Richard F. Grimmett, Specialist in International Security, September 19, 2012 “This report lists hundreds of instances in which the United States has used its armed forces abroad in situations of military conflict or potential conflict or for other than normal peacetime… Continue Reading
Study finds that ocean acidification is accelerated in nutrient-rich areas
NOAA: “Carbon dioxide released from decaying algal blooms, combined with ongoing increases in atmospheric carbon emissions, leads to increased levels of ocean acidification, and places additional stress on marine resources and the coastal economies that depend on them, according to a new study published today. Ocean acidification occurs when the ocean absorbs carbon dioxide from… Continue Reading
The Debunking Handbook – free download
“The Debunking Handbook, a guide to debunking misinformation, is now freely available to download. Although there is a great deal of psychological research on misinformation, there’s no summary of the literature that offers practical guidelines on the most effective ways of reducing the influence of myths. The Debunking Handbook boils the research down into a… Continue Reading
Brookings – Pathways to the Middle Class: Balancing Personal and Public Responsibilities
Pathways to the Middle Class: Balancing Personal and Public Responsibilities. Isabel V. Sawhill, Scott Winship, and Kerry Searle Grannis. September 20, 2012 “The reality is that economic success in America is not purely meritocratic. We dont have as much equality of opportunity as wed like to believe, and we have less mobility than some other… Continue Reading
Airport Body Scanners: The Role of Advanced Imaging Technology in Airline Passenger Screening
Airport Body Scanners: The Role of Advanced Imaging Technology in Airline Passenger Screening. Bart Elias, Specialist in Aviation Policy, September 20, 2012 “Responding to the need to reliably detect explosives, bomb-making components, and other potential security threats concealed by airline passengers, the Transportation Security Administration (TSA) has focused on the deployment of whole body scanners… Continue Reading
OECD – Pension fund assets at record high but investment returns negative in 2011
“Pension fund assets in OECD countries hit a record USD 20.1 trillion in 2011 but return on investment fell below zero, with an average negative return of -1.7%s, according to the OECDs latest Pension Markets in Focus. The report says that weak equity markets and low interest rates drove the poor performance. The best performing… Continue Reading
NYT: How Silent Spring Ignited the Environmental Movement
Eliza Griswold is a senior fellow at the New America Foundation and the recipient of a Guggenheim fellowship: “On June 4, 1963, less than a year after the controversial environmental classic Silent Spring was published, its author, Rachel Carson, testified before a Senate subcommittee on pesticides. She was 56 and dying of breast cancer. She… Continue Reading
NYT Investigative Report: Data Center Waste Vast Amounts of Energy
James Glanz: “A yearlong examination by The New York Times has revealed that this foundation of the information industry is sharply at odds with its image of sleek efficiency and environmental friendliness. Most data centers, by design, consume vast amounts of energy in an incongruously wasteful manner, interviews and documents show. Online companies typically run… Continue Reading
New Study Affirms Less Copyright Restrictions Benefit the Economy
EFF: “A new study from Australia presents the latest evidence that loosening copyright restrictions not only enables free speech, but can improve an economy as well. The study, published by the Australian Digital Alliance, indicated that if Australia expanded copyright exceptions like fair use, along with strengthening safe harbor provisions, the country could potentially add… Continue Reading
