Executive Office of the President, May 2014: [snipped] “Today, data is more deeply woven into the fabric of our lives than ever before. We aspire to use data to solve problems, improve well-being, and generate economic prosperity. The collection, storage, and analysis of data is on an upward and seemingly unbounded trajectory, fueled by increases in… Continue Reading
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Monthly Archives: May 2014
New Documents Reveal Close Ties Between NSA and Tech Companies, PBS Special to Air
EPIC: “New e-mails obtained under the Freedom of Information Act reveal former NSA Director Keith Alexander’s close communication with technology companies regarding emerging cybersecurity threats. The CEOs of Google, Apple, Microsoft, and other technology companies were invited to classified briefings as part of the “Enduring Security Framework,” a government initiative focused on sharing “cyber threat information with the… Continue Reading
Which World Bank reports are widely read?
“Knowledge is central to development. The World Bank invests about one-quarter of its budget for country services in knowledge products. Still, there is little research about the demand for these knowledge products and how internal knowledge flows affect their demand. About 49 percent of the World Bank’s policy reports, which are published Economic and Sector… Continue Reading
Why Closing the Racial Wealth Gap is a Priority for National Economic Security
Center for Global Policy Solutions: “Despite overwhelming evidence that the racial wealth gap persists in the U.S., it remains a taboo topic in mainstream policy circles and most officials studiously avoid offering targeted solutions to help close this gap. However, this issue is ignored at our nation’s peril given the anticipated growth of racial and… Continue Reading
Delivering on Digital Infrastructure
“In May 2013, the World Economic Forum convened a cross-industry initiative to examine the ability of digital infrastructure to keep pace with the fast-rising demand being put on it, with a focus on developed markets. The assembled steering committee and working group include communications service providers, content companies, software companies and hardware manufacturers active in… Continue Reading
Survey of Consumer Expectations – May 2014
“The New York Fed’s Survey of Consumer Expectations (SCE) provides timely and comprehensive information about consumer expectations through three broad categories: inflation, labor market and household finance. The SCE contains monthly insight about how consumers expect overall inflation and prices for food, gas, housing, education and medical care to change over time. It also provides Americans’ views… Continue Reading
West Antarctic Glacier Loss Appears Unstoppable
NASA news release: “A new study by researchers at NASA and the University of California, Irvine, finds a rapidly melting section of the West Antarctic Ice Sheet appears to be in an irreversible state of decline, with nothing to stop the glaciers in this area from melting into the sea. The study presents multiple lines of… Continue Reading
New GAO Reports – Army Corps of Engineers, Defense Business Systems, Oil and Gas, USPS
ARMY CORPS OF ENGINEERS: Actions Needed to Further Improve Management of Hopper Dredging, GAO-14-290: Published: Apr 10, 2014. Publicly Released: May 12, 2014. CLEAR AIR FORCE STATION: Air Force Reviewed Costs and Benefits of Several Options before Deciding to Close the Power Plant, GAO-14-550: Published: May 12, 2014. Publicly Released: May 12, 2014. DEFENSE BUSINESS SYSTEMS: Further Refinements Needed to Guide the… Continue Reading
New on LLRX – Unwarranted DNA Sampling: The Legacy of Maryland v. King
Via LLRX.com – Unwarranted DNA Sampling: The Legacy of Maryland v. King “Criminal law expert Ken Strutin’s article addresses how DNA forensics is about information, privacy and the presumption of innocence. It has become the determinant for identification, solving cold cases and exonerating the innocent. Strutin describes that at its core, it is an inestimable library of personal… Continue Reading
DNI Announces the Release of Additional Documents Related to Collection Activities Authorized by President George W. Bush Shortly After the Attacks of Sept. 11
[On May 5, 2014] “the Director of National Intelligence released additional documents related to the intelligence-gathering activities authorized by President George W. Bush shortly after the attacks of Sept. 11 and subsequently transitioned to authority of the Foreign Intelligence Surveillance Act. On Dec. 20, 2013, the DNI declassified and acknowledged the presidentially-authorized activities, and his public… Continue Reading
IMF Real Size of the World Economies
“The International Comparison Program (ICP) released [on April 29, 2014] new data today showing that the world economy produced goods and services worth over $90 trillion in 2011, and that almost half of the world’s total output came from low and middle income countries. Under the authority of the United Nations Statistical Commission, the 2011 round… Continue Reading
Congress Seeking Transparency and Oversight of NSA Collection of Metadata
New York Review of Books – We Kill People Based on Metadata by David Cole [snipped] “Supporters of the National Security Agency inevitably defend its sweeping collection of phone and Internet records on the ground that it is only collecting so-called “metadata”—who you call, when you call, how long you talk. Since this does not include the actual content… Continue Reading
