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Daily Archives: December 11, 2012

Pew – The Demographics of Mobile News

The Demographics of Mobile News Habits Men, College Grads and the Young are more Engaged, December 11, 2012: – Younger Americans demonstrate much stronger news habits in the mobile realm than on other news platforms, according to a new study by PEJ in collaboration with The Economist Group. Another finding, with potentially significant implications for the news industry, reveals that younger users are more responsive than other age groups to advertisements in the mobile news space…Overall, news consumption ranks high on mobile devices. Over a third report getting news daily on the tablet and the smartphone, putting it on par with other activities such as email and playing games on tablets and behind only email on smartphones. The popularity of news remains strong across all demographic groups studied, but is especially prevalent among men and the college educated. On the smartphone, differences also emerge in age and income.”

Study shows polar-orbiting satellite data was key to pinpointing Sandy’s track and time of landfall

“According to a new study by the European Centre for Medium-Range Weather Forecasts (ECMWF), the NOAA forecasts of Hurricane Sandy’s track could have been hundreds of miles off without information from polar-orbiting satellites. Rather than identifying the New Jersey landfall location within 30 miles four-days before landfall, the models would have shown Sandy remaining at… Continue Reading

Seasonal-to-Decadal Predictions of Arctic Sea Ice: Challenges and Strategies

“Recent well documented reductions in the thickness and extent of Arctic sea ice cover, which can be linked to the warming climate, are affecting the global climate system and are also affecting the global economic system as marine access to the Arctic region and natural resource development increase. Satellite data show that during each of… Continue Reading

CRS Reports – Iran’s Ballistic Missile and Space Launch Programs, Syria's Chemical Weapons, Egypt, Right to Work Laws

The following reports are via FAS: Iran’s Ballistic Missile and Space Launch Programs, Steven A. Hildreth, Specialist in Missile Defense. December 6, 2012 Syria’s Chemical Weapons: Issues for Congress, December 5, 2012 Egypt: Background and U.S. Relations, December 6, 2012 Afghanistan Casualties: Military Forces and Civilians, December 6, 2012 Detention of U.S. Persons as Enemy… Continue Reading

Drunk Driving Laws

Drunk Driving Laws, December 2012. Governors Highway Safety Association All states define driving with a blood alcohol concentration (BAC) at or above 0.08 percent as a crime, although specific laws and penalties can vary substantially from state to state. Administrative license suspensions allow law enforcement to confiscate a driver’s license when he or she fails… Continue Reading

Cell Phone and Texting Laws – Governors Highway Safety Administration

“This chart outlines state distracted driving laws. Some localities have additional regulations. Enforcement type is shown in parenthesis. Handheld Cell Phone Use: 10 states, D.C., Guam and the Virgin Islands prohibit all drivers from using handheld cell phones while driving. Except for Maryland and West Virginia (until July 2013), all laws are primary enforcement—an officer… Continue Reading

Trafficking in Persons: U.S. Policy and Issues for Congress

CRS – Trafficking in Persons: U.S. Policy and Issues for Congress, Alison Siskin, Specialist in Immigration Policy; Liana Sun Wyler, Analyst in International Crime and Narcotics. December 7, 2012 “Trafficking in persons (TIP) for the purposes of exploitation is believed to be one of the most prolific areas of international criminal activity and is of… Continue Reading

Privacy International – A New Dawn: Privacy in Asia

“Privacy has truly become an issue of global resonance. A quick glance at policy agendas in countries around the world shows that privacy and surveillance issues are increasingly important. The challenge, however, is improving the ability of governments and policy stakeholders to engage in a policy debate that is informed about the dangers of surveillance… Continue Reading

Campaign Finance Disclosure Portal

“The Federal Election Commission’s Campaign Finance Disclosure Portal provides a single point of entry to campaign finance data. You’ll find easy-to-navigate maps and charts that display the campaign finance data you’re most interested in. You’ll also find many search tools that will help you through our data sources. You can download many of these data… Continue Reading

Dodd-Frank Progress Report Generated using the Davis Polk Regulatory Tracker™ December 2012

Davis Polk – “As of December 3, 2012, a total of 237 Dodd-Frank rulemaking requirement deadlines have passed. This is 59.5% of the 398 total rulemaking requirements, and 84.6% of the 280 rulemaking requirements with specified deadlines. Of these 237 passed deadlines, 144 (61%) have been missed and 93 (39%) have been met with finalized… Continue Reading