Katrina Stierholz – Federal Reserve Bank of St. Louis: “In the last few months, many new data series have been added to FRED. The OECD’s Main Economic Indicators are now on FRED, the latest Penn World Tables, more retail trade data. FRED now has 148,000 series from 59 sources and allows users to easily download… Continue Reading
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Monthly Archives: August 2013
FDA finalized the definition of the term “gluten-free”
“The Food and Drug Administration (FDA) recently finalized the definition of the term “gluten-free” on food labels, which means all manufacturers that want to use that phrase on their products must adhere to strict guidelines. As stated by the FDA, the term gluten-free now refers to foods that are either inherently gluten-free or foods that… Continue Reading
Report to Congress on Implementation of Section 1001 of PATRIOT Act
U.S. Department of Justice Office of the Inspector General Report to Congress on Implementation of Section 1001 of the USA PATRIOT Act (as required by Section 1001(3) of Public Law 107-56), August 2013. “Between January 1, 2013 and June 30, 2013, the period covered by this report, the OIG processed 515 new civil rights or… Continue Reading
Guardian – NSA paid millions to cover Prism compliance costs for tech companies
Ewen MacAskill in New York, The Guardian, Thursday 22 August 2013: “The National Security Agency paid millions of dollars to cover the costs of major internet companies involved in the Prism surveillance program after a court ruled that some of the agency’s activities were unconstitutional, according to top-secret material passed to the Guardian. The technology companies, which the NSA says includes Google, Yahoo, Microsoft and Facebook, incurred… Continue Reading
The Australian Public Service Big Data Strategy
The Australian Public Service Big Data Strategy – Improved understanding through enhanced data-analytics capability, August 2013. “Government policy development and service delivery will benefit from the effective and judicious use of big data analytics. Big data analytics can be used to streamline service delivery, create opportunities for innovation, and identify new service and policy approaches… Continue Reading
GDELT: Global Data on Events, Location and Tone
“GDELT: Global Data on Events, Location and Tone – GDELT is a new CAMEO-coded data set containing more than 200-million geolocated events with global coverage for 1979 to the present. The primary author is Kalev Leetaru at the University of Illinois Graduate School of Library and Information Science. The data are based on a variety of international news… Continue Reading
Mapped: Every Protest on the Planet Since 1979
From Cairo to Wall Street to the West Bank, plotting a world of upheaval, by Dana Stuster – “This is what data from a world in turmoil looks like. The Global Database of Events, Language, and Tone (GDELT) tracks news reports and codes them for 58 fields, from where an incident took place to what sort of event it… Continue Reading
CDC provides estimate of Americans diagnosed with Lyme disease each year
“Preliminary estimates released by the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention indicate that the number of Americans diagnosed with Lyme disease each year is around 300,000. The preliminary estimates were presented Sunday night in Boston at the 2013 International Conference on Lyme Borreliosis and Other Tick-Borne Diseases. This early estimate is based on findings from… Continue Reading
Health Reform: Seven Things You Need to Know Now
Health Reform: Seven Things You Need to Know Now. “Consumer Reports has developed this brief guide to help you understand how the changes brought about by health reform, the Affordable Care Act (ACA) of 2010, will affect you and your family, now and in the future. Providing easy-to-understand comparative information to help consumers make the… Continue Reading
IRS IG – Desktop and Laptop Software License Management Is Not Being Adequately Performed
Desktop and Laptop Software License Management Is Not Being Adequately Performed, Treasury Inspector General for Tax Administration, June 25, 2013. Reference Number: 2013-20-025. “The IRS is not adequately performing software license management and is not adhering to Federal requirements and recommended industry best practices. The IRS does not have enterprisewide or local policies, procedures, and… Continue Reading
New GAO Report – VA Health Care
VA Health Care: Actions Needed to Improve Administration of the Provider Performance Pay and Award Systems, GAO-13-536, Jul 24, 2013: “The Department of Veterans Affairs’ (VA) performance pay policy has gaps in information needed to appropriately administer this type of pay. The performance pay policy gives VA’s 152 medical centers and 21 networks discretion in… Continue Reading
FACT SHEET on the President’s Plan to Make College More Affordable
“[August 22, 2013], President Obama outlined an ambitious new agenda to combat rising college costs and make college affordable for American families. His plan will measure college performance through a new ratings system so students and families have the information to select schools that provide the best value. And after this ratings system is well… Continue Reading
