Michael Carl Tschantz, Sadia Afroz, Vern Paxson, J. D. Tygar (Submitted on 10 Sep 2014) “We argue that the evaluation of censorship evasion tools should depend upon economic models of censorship. We illustrate our position with a simple model of the costs of censorship. We show how this model makes suggestions for how to evade censorship. In particular, from… Continue Reading
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Monthly Archives: September 2014
Police at more than 100 institutions acquired gear from DoD at little or no cost
Follow up to Defense Department military equipment distributed free to states around the country, via Dan Bauman, Chronicle of Higher Education: “At least 117 colleges have acquired equipment from the department through a federal program, known as the 1033 program, that transfers military surplus to law-enforcement agencies across the country, according to records The Chronicle received after filing Freedom of Information… Continue Reading
Talk with Me, Not at Me: Playing to Win with Social Media
Accenture, From Welcome to the Switching Economy: “Consumers everywhere have a wealth of information at their fingertips, giving them more control than ever regarding who gets their business. They know they have choices and switch providers when frustrated with their experiences. The result is the emergence of what Accenture calls the Switching Economy: the $5.9… Continue Reading
Compensation Programs Falling Short at U.S. Employers – Survey
“Despite the importance of pay when it comes to attracting and retaining employees, companies are falling short in the delivery of their base pay and annual incentive programs, according to research from global professional services company Towers Watson. Further, while the competition for talent is heating up, companies are not differentiating pay for their best… Continue Reading
CRS – Defense Surplus Equipment Disposal
Defense Surplus Equipment Disposal, Including the Law Enforcement 1033 Program. Valerie Bailey Grasso, Specialist in Defense Acquisition. September 5, 2014. “On September 12, 1972, the Defense Property Disposal Service (the forerunner to DLA Disposition Services) was established under the Defense Supply Agency (now DLA). Defense property disposal offices were established worldwide on or near major military installations. DLA… Continue Reading
Armed Conflict in Syria: Overview and U.S. Response
CRS – Armed Conflict in Syria: Overview and U.S. Response. Christopher M. Blanchard, Coordinator – Specialist in Middle Eastern Affairs; Carla E. Humud, Analyst in Middle Eastern and African Affairs; Mary Beth D. Nikitin, Specialist in Nonproliferation. June 27, 2014. “Fighting continues across Syria, pitting government forces and their foreign allies against a range of anti-government insurgents, some of whom also are fighting… Continue Reading
Publishers Gave Away over 120 Million Books During World War II
And, in the process, they created a nation of readers, Yoni Applebaum, The Atlantic: “In 1943, in the middle of the Second World War, America’s book publishers took an audacious gamble. They decided to sell the armed forces cheap paperbacks, shipped to units scattered around the globe. Instead of printing only the books soldiers and… Continue Reading
Younger Americans and Public Libraries
“Younger Americans—those ages 16-29—especially fascinate researchers and organizations because of their advanced technology habits, their racial and ethnic diversity, their looser relationships to institutions such as political parties and organized religion, and the ways in which their social attitudes differ from their elders. This report pulls together several years of research into the role of libraries in… Continue Reading
EPIC, Legal Scholars, Technical Experts Urge Federal Appeals Court to Safeguard Telephone “Metadata”
“EPIC has filed an amicus curiae brief, joined by 33 technical experts and legal scholars, in support of a challenge to the NSA telephone record collection program. The case, Smith v. Obama will be heard by the Court of Appeals for the Ninth Circuit this fall. Earlier this year, a lower court ruled that the Fourth Amendment does not protect… Continue Reading
Cyberthreats in past year impact 93% of financial services organizations
“Cyberattacks targeting financial services firms are on the rise, but are these organizations doing enough to protect business and customer data? According to a Kaspersky Lab and B2B International survey of worldwide IT professionals, 93% of financial services organizations experienced various cyberthreats in the past 12 months. And while cyber-attacks targeting financial services firms are on the rise, nearly one… Continue Reading
New GAO Reports – Defense Planning, Education, DHS Training, USAID, Older Americans, Veterans Affairs
DEFENSE PLANNING: DOD Needs Specific Measures and Milestones to Gauge Progress of Preparations for Operational Access Challenges, GAO-14-801: Published: Sep 10, 2014. Publicly Released: Sep 10, 2014. DEPARTMENT OF EDUCATION: Status of Prior GAO Recommendations, GAO-14-848T: Published: Sep 10, 2014. Publicly Released: Sep 10, 2014. DHS TRAINING: Improved Documentation, Resource Tracking, and Performance Measurement Could Strengthen Efforts, GAO-14-688: Published: Sep 10, 2014.… Continue Reading
Paper- Changes to Equity Markets Require Structural Reforms
“Regulatory policy has not kept pace with the significant changes that have occurred in our stock market within the last few decades, according to a CFA white paper on market structure. The white paper analyzes those market changes and proposes reforms that are designed to foster transparency, ensure high market quality, minimize conflicts of interest, guarantee… Continue Reading
