“FBI agents are interviewing employees at FEMA in an investigation of unusual changes in federal flood insurance maps that benefited oceanfront condo buildings with a history of flooding, according to sources familiar with the investigation. The investigation follows a report by NBC News documenting more than 500 instances in which FEMA has remapped waterfront properties from the highest-risk… Continue Reading
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Monthly Archives: March 2014
How the NSA Can Use Metadata to Predict Your Personality
Patrick Tucker is technology editor for Defense One: “The president and congressional leaders want to end NSA bulk metadata collection, but not the use of metadata, which may even be expanded. From a technical perspective, the question of what your metadata can reveal about you, or potential enemies, remains as important as it was since the Edward Snowden… Continue Reading
Formerly Withheld Documents Released by The Clinton Library
“Formerly Withheld Documents: Please find below documents that were previously withheld under the Presidential Records Act for restrictions P2 (appointment to federal office) and/or P5 (confidential advice between the President and/or his advisors and between those advisors). For more information concerning these collections please see the collection finding aids index. The finding aids detail the scope, content, and provide a… Continue Reading
Ukraine: Current Issues and U.S. Policy Steven
CRS – Ukraine: Current Issues and U.S. Policy, Steven Woehrel, Specialist in European Affairs. March 24, 2014 “Ukraine, comparable in size and population to France, is a large, important, European state. The fact that it occupies the sensitive position between Russia and NATO member states Poland, Slovakia, Hungary, and Romania adds to its geostrategic significance. Many Russian politicians, as well as ordinary… Continue Reading
Legislative Research for Congressional Staff: How to Find Documents and Other Resources
CRS – Legislative Research for Congressional Staff: How to Find Documents and Other Resources. Ada S. Cornell, Information Research Specialist; Laura A. Hanson, Information Research Specialist; Michael Greene, Information Research Specialist. March 25, 2014. “During the legislative process, many documents are prepared by Congress and its committees. Governmental and non-governmental entities track and record congressional activities, and many more entities chronicle and analyze the development… Continue Reading
The Trend in Long-Term Unemployment and Characteristics of Workers Unemployed for Two Years or More
CRS – The Trend in Long-Term Unemployment and Characteristics of Workers Unemployed for Two Years or More, Gerald Mayer, Analyst in Labor Policy, March 24, 2014 “One of the characteristics of the recession that officially began in the United States in December 2007 and ended in June 2009 was the unprecedented rise in long-term unemployment. The longterm unemployed are often… Continue Reading
Economic Report of the President 2014
“The Economic Report of the President is an annual report written by the Chairman of the Council of Economic Advisers. It overviews the nation’s economic progress using text and extensive data appendices. The Economic Report of the President is transmitted to Congress no later than ten days after the submission of the Budget of the… Continue Reading
Map any place in the world even if you’ve never been there.
“Map data is key to humanitarian and development missions. MapGive helps new volunteers learn to map and get involved in online tasks. Open Mapping, or crowdsourced mapping, is when volunteers work together to create a free map of the world. These maps help play a critical role in humanitarian and development missions. Learn about all the… Continue Reading
Energy Boom Fuels Rapid Population Growth in Parts of Great Plains, Gulf Coast
News release: “Oil- and gas-rich areas in and near the Great Plains contained many of the fastest-growing areas in the U.S. last year, according to U.S. Census Bureau population estimates released today. Areas along and near the Gulf Coast were also home to several high-growth communities. Of the nation’s 10 fastest-growing metropolitan statistical areas in the… Continue Reading
OECD Sovereign Borrowing Outlook
“Borrowing operations by OECD governments are set to decrease, as their borrowing needs continue to decline, according to a new OECD report. Net borrowing needs are projected to fall from USD 2.0 trillion in 2013 to USD 1.5 trillion in 2014, the lowest level since 2007. The Sovereign Borrowing Outlook 2014 estimates that gross borrowing requirements… Continue Reading
Teaching the Movement 2014: The State of Civil Rights Education in the United States
“This report was prepared by the Southern Poverty Law Center under the guidance of Teaching Tolerance Director Maureen Costello. The principal researcher and writer was Kate Shuster, Ph.D. The report was reviewed by Hasan Jeffries, Ph.D. and Jeremy Stern, Ph.D. It was edited by Maureen Costello, Alice Pettway, Adrienne van der Valk and Monita Bell… Continue Reading
Commentary on Big data – does hype live up to expectations
Big data: are we making a big mistake? By Tim Harford: “Big data is a vague term for a massive phenomenon that has rapidly become an obsession with entrepreneurs, scientists, governments and the media…As with so many buzzwords, “big data” is a vague term, often thrown around by people with something to sell. Some emphasise the sheer scale of… Continue Reading
