Jennifer Erickson | September 24, 2014, Center for American Progress “The American middle class is in trouble. The middle-class share of national income has fallen, middle-class wages are stagnant, and the middle class in the United States is no longer the world’s wealthiest. But income is only one side of the story. The cost of being in the middle… Continue Reading
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Monthly Archives: September 2014
Progress Toward Restoring the Everglades: The Fifth Biennial Review
“The Everglades ecosystem is vast, stretching more than 200 miles from Orlando to Florida Bay, and Everglades National Park is but a part located at the southern end. During the 19th and 20th centuries, the historical Everglades has been reduced to half of its original size, and what remains is not the pristine ecosystem many… Continue Reading
The Effect of Firm Bankruptcy on Retiree Benefits, with Applications to the Automotive and Coal Industries
CRS – The Effect of Firm Bankruptcy on Retiree Benefits, with Applications to the Automotive and Coal Industries. Carol Rapaport, Analyst in Health Care Financing, September 22, 2014. “Benefits for retired employees are of particular interest to policy makers because of the growing number of retirees and forecasts indicating that some future retirees may not have the necessary financial… Continue Reading
The National Fish, Wildlife and Plants Climate Adaptation Strategy
“The purpose of the National Fish, Wildlife and Plants Climate Adaptation Strategy is to inspire and enable natural resource administrators, elected of ficials, and other decision makers to take action to adapt to a changing climate. Adaptation actions are vital to sustaining the nation’s ecosystems and natural resources—as well as the human uses and values that the natural world… Continue Reading
Updated reverse mortgage guide: Two things you should know
CFPB: “More and more homeowners are considering tapping their home equity as they approach retirement age. Getting a reverse mortgage is one way that some older homeowners can do that. Reverse mortgages are a special type of home equity loan sold to homeowners aged 62 years and older, which are repaid when the borrowers sell… Continue Reading
Combine your iPhone or tablet with 3D-printed clip and glass sphere to create microscope
Mark Rockwell – FCW: “A national research laboratory has combined the capabilities of a 3-D printer, mobile phones and simple glass beads to produce an inexpensive handheld microscope that can be used in a wide range of research and practical applications. Developers of the technology at the Department of Energy’s Pacific Northwest National Laboratory (PNNL) have… Continue Reading
College Enrollment Declines for Second Year in a Row
“College enrollment declined by close to half a million (463,000) between 2012 and 2013, marking the second year in a row that a drop of this magnitude has occurred. The cumulative two-year drop of 930,000 was larger than any college enrollment drop before the recent recession, according to U.S. Census Bureau statistics from the Current… Continue Reading
New GAO Reports – IGs, International Labor Grants, Special Education
INSPECTORS GENERAL: DHS OIG’s Structure, Policies, and Procedures Are Consistent with Standards, but Areas for Improvement Exist, GAO-14-726: Published: Sep 24, 2014. Publicly Released: Sep 24, 2014. INTERNATIONAL LABOR GRANTS: DOL’s Use of Financial and Performance Monitoring Tools Needs to Be Strengthened, GAO-14-832: Published: Sep 24, 2014. Publicly Released: Sep 24, 2014. SPECIAL EDUCATION: Improved Performance Measures Could Enhance Oversight… Continue Reading
Measuring Labor Market Slack
CBO – Presentation by Wendy Edelberg at the Peterson Institute for International Economics conference on Labor Market Slack: Assessing and Addressing in Real Time “In CBO’s view, the current slack in the labor market consists of multiple elements, including: The labor force participation rate is well below what CBO estimates would be achieved if the demand for… Continue Reading
Academic Skills on Web Are Tied to Income Level – Report
Motoko Rich: “Wealthier students tend to perform better on tests of reading comprehension than their poorer peers, a longstanding trend that has been documented amply. But with the Internet having become an indispensable part of daily life, a new study shows that a separate gap has emerged, with lower-income students again lagging more affluent students in… Continue Reading
Ebola Virus Disease in West Africa -The First 9 Months of the Epidemic and Forward Projections
Ebola Virus Disease in West Africa — The First 9 Months of the Epidemic and Forward Projections – WHO Ebola Response Team – September 23, 2014. DOI: 10.1056/NEJMoa1411100 “As of September 14, 2014, a total of 4507 confirmed and probable cases of Ebola virus disease (EVD), as well as 2296 deaths from the virus, had been reported from… Continue Reading
UNESCO Database on the Right to Education
UNESCO Database: “The library contains about 1,000 documents including: Member States’ constitutions, laws, decrees as well as educational programmes and plans. You can search the library by selecting a country region, type of document and/or language.” Continue Reading
