News release: “Ships, barges, ferries, and recreational boats in the busy New York Harbor will be able to navigate more safely thanks to an updated version of the harbor’s nautical chart recently issued by NOAA that includes data gathered in the navigational response to the damage caused by Sandy in October 2012.The latest edition of Chart… Continue Reading
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Monthly Archives: December 2013
Navigating the market
CFPB: “To understand the wide range of information sources consumers could be exposed to in making financial decisions, we commissioned a study of the size and scope of the financial information field. The results give an overall indication of the relative amounts spent in the U.S. on financial education and on the marketing of certain… Continue Reading
Affordable Care Act: Improvements Are Needed to Strengthen Systems Development Controls for Premium Tax Credit Project
Treasury Inspector General for Tax Administration – Affordable Care Act: Improvements Are Needed to Strengthen Systems Development Controls for the Premium Tax Credit Project. September 27, 2013. Reference Number: 2013-23-119. “The overall objective of this review was to determine if the IRS is adequately managing systems development risks for the PTC Project. TIGTA evaluated the IRS’s key management controls and processes for… Continue Reading
RMB now 2nd most used currency in trade finance, overtaking the Euro
News release: ‘”Recent SWIFT data shows that RMB (Chinese Yuan) usage in traditional trade finance – Letters of Credit and Collections – grew from an activity share of 1.89% in January 2012 to 8.66% in October 2013, propelling the RMB to the second most used currency in this market. It ranks behind the USD, which… Continue Reading
Training for Success: A Policy to Expand Apprenticeships in the United States
Apprenticeships, though underutilized, are a highly effective method of training and education that delivers a big return on public investment. By Ben Olinsky and Sarah Ayres | December 2, 2013 “Apprenticeships are not a familiar concept to many Americans, but expanding the use of this highly effective training model can help our nation meet the demand for skilled workers, create pathways to well-paying careers… Continue Reading
New figures reveal poaching for the illegal ivory trade could wipe out a fifth of Africa’s Elephants over next decade
News release: “As delegates gather to discuss the plight of the African Elephant at a summit convened by the Government of Botswana and the International Union for Conservation of Nature (IUCN) new analyses released today find that if poaching rates are sustained at current levels, Africa is likely to lose a fifth of its elephants… Continue Reading
World Bank – Food Price Watch November 2013
“Prices of internationally traded food commodities continued to decline—by 6%—between June and October. These declines have added to the falling price trend since the all-time high of August 2012. Record harvests in wheat, maize and rice, along with stronger global stocks, a weaker dollar and releases of public stocks of rice, have driven down prices. Yet, international prices… Continue Reading
NY Fed – Recent Developments in Monetary Policy Implementation
Simon Potter, Executive Vice President, Remarks before the Money Marketeers of New York University, New York City, As prepared for delivery, December 2, 2013. “My remarks this evening will focus on the role played by the New York Fed’s Trading Desk (the Desk) in the implementation of monetary policy and how our operational tools have evolved in recent… Continue Reading
EPA Study: Mercury Levels in Women of Childbearing Age Drop 34 Percent
News release: “Today the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) released a study showing that blood mercury levels in women of childbearing age dropped 34 percent from a survey conducted in 1999-2000 to follow-up surveys conducted from 2001 to 2010. Additionally, the percentage of women of childbearing age with blood mercury levels above the level of… Continue Reading
New GAO Reports – Federal Real Property, Employment, Workforce Investment Act
FEDERAL REAL PROPERTY – GSA Should Clarify Savings Goals for the National Broker Contract Program, GAO-14-14, Oct 31, 2013 FEDERAL REAL PROPERTY – Improved Standards Needed to Ensure That Agencies’ Reported Cost Savings Are Reliable and Transparent, GAO-14-12, Oct 29, 2013 EMPLOYMENT – Results for Survey of Workforce Investment Boards (GAO-14-20SP, December 2013), an E-supplement to GAO-14-19, GAO-14-20SP, Dec 2, 2013… Continue Reading
OECD – Fiscal Federalism 2014: Making Decentralisation Work
“Hundreds of thousands of elected sub-national governments worldwide provide services and levy taxes on residents and companies. The trend towards decentralisation over the past 20 years has increased their capacity to affect the economic and fiscal course of their country, while the global economic crisis has created new challenges for balancing budgets at all levels… Continue Reading
HealthCare.gov Progress and Performance Report
CMS.gov: “In mid-October, the Obama administration conducted an assessment of the site HealthCare.gov. The assessment was conducted by experts from across government and private sector. The team identified the problems and necessary fixes and determined that HealthCare.gov was fixable, but only with significant changes to the management approach, and a relentless focus on execution. This… Continue Reading
