Via LLRX.com – The sad reasons why Amazon’s #1 reading city doesn’t belong on the list – In this article David Rothman highlights the backstory on Amazon’s new list of America’s “Top 20 Most Well-Read Cities,” based on its sales of books, magazines and newspapers. As has been the case previously, the winner is Alexandria, Virginia, his hometown, which… Continue Reading
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Monthly Archives: June 2014
The USA FREEDOM Act (H.R. 3361) as Passed by The US House
Via cdt – “The USA FREEDOM Act (H.R. 3361) is the most significant national security surveillance reform legislation in more than a decade. The bill was watered down in the House prior to final passage, prompting CDT, other public interest groups, and many major technology companies to withdraw support for the bill. CDT is urging the Senate to make… Continue Reading
Evidence review of the economic contribution of libraries
Foreword from Arts Council England, Final Report June 2014: “Every day, across England a wide range of people walk into their library, or visit their library online to do an extraordinary range of things: borrow a book or DVD, attend a training session, track down some crucial information, meet a friend or client, study quietly and… Continue Reading
Town shuts down boy’s ‘little free library’ for alleged detached structure violation – ABA Journal
Debra Cassens Weiss, ABA Journal – “A 9-year-old Kansas boy and his family have moved their “little free library” after their town said it violated city code banning detached structures in the front yards of single-family homes. Spencer Collins and his parents moved the library to the garage after the town of Leawood warned in a letter… Continue Reading
Reform Where It Is Least Needed: Diffusion of Post Crisis Risk Governance Regulation
Magee, Shane and Sheedy, Elizabeth A. and Wright, Sue, Reform Where It Is Least Needed: Diffusion of Post Crisis Risk Governance Regulation (June 19, 2014). Available at SSRN: http://ssrn.com/abstract=2456837 “Risk governance is arguably the most vital arena for post-crisis bank reform because it addresses the fundamental issues that drive the mismanagement of financial institutions. We assess… Continue Reading
Workplace Surveillance Sees Good and Bad – NYT
Steve Lohr [snipped] – “A digital Big Brother is coming to work, for better or worse. Advanced technological tools are beginning to make it possible to measure and monitor employees as never before, with the promise of fundamentally changing how we work — along with raising concerns about privacy and the specter of unchecked surveillance in… Continue Reading
A Map of Maternity Leave Policies Around the World
The Atlantic, Rebecca J. Rosen – “If you’re a woman working in the United States and your employer provides paid maternity leave, consider yourself lucky: Just 11 percent of Americans employed by private industry have access to some sort of paid family leave. For state and government employees, 16 percent can take paid family leave. The U.S. federal… Continue Reading
The Growth of Incarceration in the United States
“After decades of stability from the 1920s to the early 1970s, the rate of imprisonment in the United States more than quadrupled during the last four decades. The U.S. penal population of 2.2 million adults is by far the largest in the world. Just under one-quarter of the world’s prisoners are held in American prisons.… Continue Reading
Press Release – Secret Trade in Services Agreement (TISA) – Financial Services Annex 2014-06-19
“Today, WikiLeaks released the secret draft text for the Trade in Services Agreement (TISA) Financial Services Annex, which covers 50 countries and 68.2%1 of world trade in services. The US and the EU are the main proponents of the agreement, and the authors of most joint changes, which also covers cross-border data flow. In a significant… Continue Reading
Assumptions to the Annual Energy Outlook 2014
“Projections in AEO2014 are generated using the NEMS, developed and maintained by the Office of Energy Analysis of the U.S. Energy Information Administration (EIA). In addition to its use in developing the Annual Energy Outlook (AEO) projections, NEMS is used to complete analytical studies for the U.S. Congress, the Executive Office of the President, other… Continue Reading
Obama Renews NSA Bulk Record Collection Program – EPIC
EPIC – “Today the Attorney General and the Director of National Intelligence announced that the President will seek a renewal of the court order authorizing the NSA’s bulk collection of American telephone records through September 12, 2014. The President has chosen to renew this order despite his promise in March 2014 to end the bulk collection program and the… Continue Reading
FTC – A handy consumer resource
“How does a fixed rate mortgage compare to a variable rate mortgage? What can you do about a store that doesn’t honor its refund policy? What if you have a complaint about an insurance company? The world can be a tricky place for consumers. It takes time and energy to research companies, compare products, and stay up-to-date… Continue Reading
