The Red Cross’ Secret Disaster, by Justin Elliott and Jesse Eisinger, ProPublica, and Laura Sullivan, NPR. October 29, 2014. “In 2012, two massive storms pounded the United States, leaving hundreds of thousands of people homeless, hungry or without power for days and weeks. Americans did what they so often do after disasters. They sent hundreds of millions of dollars to… Continue Reading
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Monthly Archives: October 2014
Victims of Online Harassment Describe Their Experiences
Pew – Online Harassment – 73% of adult internet users have seen someone be harassed in some way online and 40% have personally experienced it. Interactive: Personal Experiences of Online Harassment Continue Reading
Which Judges Juggle the Most Civil Cases? TRAC Update Reveals Answers
“Federal District Judge Billy Roy Wilson of the Eastern District of Arkansas closed 3,008 civil cases in the twelve-month period ending June 30, more than any other judge in the nation. Meanwhile, Judge James “Rodney” Gilstrap of the Eastern District of Texas closed the most cases when the court’s case-weighting system, which seeks to account… Continue Reading
Fallout plume of submerged oil from Deepwater Horizon
David L. Valentine, G. Burch Fisher, Sarah C. Bagby, Robert K. Nelson, Christopher M. Reddy, Sean P. Sylva, and Mary A. Woo. Fallout plume of submerged oil from Deepwater Horizon. PNAS 2014 : 1414873111v1-201414873. “Following the sinking of the Deepwater Horizon in the Gulf of Mexico an unprecedented quantity of oil irrupted into the ocean at a… Continue Reading
Report – Bicyclist Fatalities a Growing Problem for Key Groups
“The number of bicyclists killed on U.S. roadways is trending upward, particularly for certain subsets of the population, according to a report released today by the Governors Highway Safety Association (GHSA). GHSA’s Spotlight on Highway Safety: Bicyclist Safety notes that yearly bicyclist deaths increased 16 percent between 2010 and 2012, while overall motor vehicle fatalities… Continue Reading
New food label targets limiting massive amount of food waste
Washington Post – Landfills are overflowing with food. Here’s a gelatin label that could limit the waste: “The next time you start to toss an “expired” carton of milk, consider this: Dates on packages don’t actually have anything to do with food safety or FDA regulations. Instead, the dates are a somewhat arbitrary indication of when… Continue Reading
FTC Says AT&T Has Misled Millions of Consumers with ‘Unlimited’ Data Promises
News release: “The Federal Trade Commission filed a federal court complaint against AT&T Mobility, LLC, charging that the company has misled millions of its smartphone customers by charging them for “unlimited” data plans while reducing their data speeds, in some cases by nearly 90 percent. The FTC’s complaint alleges that the company failed to adequately disclose… Continue Reading
Census Bureau Releases Industry Series Report on Accommodation
“The U.S. Census Bureau today released additional national-level data from the 2012 Economic Census Industry Series reports for the accommodation and food services sector of the economy. This release includes new statistics on the nation’s 63,896 accommodation businesses (NAICS 721), which reported sales of $195.4 billion and employed nearly 2.0 million people in 2012. Other highlights:… Continue Reading
New GAO Reports – USPS Changes to Operations
U.S. POSTAL SERVICE: Information on Recent Changes to Delivery Standards, Operations, and Performance, GAO-14-828R: Published: Sep 25, 2014. Publicly Released: Oct 27, 2014: “Since 2012, USPS has instituted several initiatives aimed at reducing expenses in its mail delivery and processing networks as part of broader efforts to address its fiscal challenges and move toward financial viability. These… Continue Reading
FOIA request reveals extensive government monitoring of US mail
New York Times: “In a rare public accounting of its mass surveillance program, the United States Postal Service reported that it approved nearly 50,000 requests last year from law enforcement agencies and its own internal inspection unit to secretly monitor the mail of Americans for use in criminal and national security investigations. The number of requests, contained… Continue Reading
Communications carriers using browser codes to monetize customer site visits
Forbes – Kashmir Hill: “The generally accepted trade-off on the Internet is that you give up your privacy to get free stuff. It’s summed up by a frequently repeated adage, “If you’re not paying for it, you’re the product.” But sometimes you’re paying for it, and you’re still the product. Verizon and AT&T customers are paying an… Continue Reading
Regional Economic Outlook: Middle East and Central Asia
IMF – Regional Economic Outlook: Middle East and Central Asia, October 2014. “Despite setbacks, an uneven global economic recovery continues. Largely due to weaker-than-expected global activity in the first half of 2014, the growth forecast for the world economy has been revised downward to 3.3 percent this year, 0.4 percentage point lower than in the… Continue Reading
