How Chicago Solved Its Open Data Dilemma, Loraine Lawson – “In New York City, obtaining a public data set required an open records request and the researcher toting in a hard drive. So grab a notepad, Big Apple, and let the Windy City show you how to do open data. A recent GCN article describes how… Continue Reading
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Monthly Archives: January 2015
OCLC Research launches Terms of Use and Reuse for Finding Aid Metadata project
“OCLC Research is facilitating a focused discussion about metadata in finding aids within a scoped effort to produce guidelines for terms of use and reuse of finding aid metadata. We have convened a working group whose members are in contact with archival authorities and associations internationally, such as the Society of American Archivists and the… Continue Reading
Everybody Dies: What is Your Digital Legacy?
Alethea Lange – CDT – “What happens to your email when you die? For most people this hopefully isn’t an urgent question, but a few high profile cases have made it an issue for lawmakers and judges around the world. You might think that your family could show up with a death certificate and/or a… Continue Reading
70 Public Interest Groups and Companies Urge Congress to Update Email Privacy Law
“EFF, along with more than sixty civil liberties organizations, public interest groups, and companies sent two letters to the House and Senate leadership today. One supported the upcoming bipartisan Email Privacy Act by Reps. Kevin Yoder and Jared Polis, and the other supported the upcoming Electronic Communications Privacy Act Amendments Act by Sens. Mike Lee… Continue Reading
SIGAR Report Documents 300 Million Dollar Waste on Afghan Police
Special Inspector General for Afghanistan Reconstruction – More than $300 Million in Annual, U.S.-funded Salary Payments to the Afghan National Police Is Based on Partially Verified or Reconciled Data. SIGAR 15-26 Audit Report, January 15, 2015. “Despite 13 years and several billions of dollars in salary assistance to the Afghan government for the ANP, there… Continue Reading
Safeguarding the Arctic
By Cathleen Kelly & Miranda Peterson |Why the U.S. Must Lead in the High North |Thursday, January 22, 2015: “While many Americans do not consider the United States to be an Arctic nation, Alaska—which constitutes 16 percent of the country’s landmass and sits on the Arctic Circle—puts the country solidly in that category. Consequently, it… Continue Reading
Projected Costs of U.S. Nuclear Forces, 2015 to 2024
“Nuclear weapons have been a cornerstone of U.S. national security since they were developed during World War II. During the Cold War, nuclear forces were central to U.S. defense policy, resulting in the buildup of a large arsenal. Since that time, they have figured less prominently than conventional forces, and the United States has not… Continue Reading
New GAO Reports – African Growth and Opportunity Act, Higher Education, Job Corps
African Growth and Opportunity Act: USAID Could Enhance Utilization by Working with More Countries to Develop Export Strategies, GAO-15-218: Published: Jan 22, 2015. Publicly Released: Jan 22, 2015. Higher Education: Education Should Strengthen Oversight of Schools and Accreditors [Reissued on January 22, 2015], GAO-15-59: Published: Dec 22, 2014. Publicly Released: Dec 22, 2014. Job Corps:… Continue Reading
2014 U.S. and State Population Estimates on American FactFinder
“July 1, 2014 population estimates are now available for the nation, states and Puerto Rico on American FactFinder. The annual estimates include components of change (births, deaths and net migration) in the previous year and since the April 1, 2010 Census. The estimates were originally released on Dec. 23, 2014, on the Population and Housing Unit… Continue Reading
Lessons about Twitter from New York Times’ social media desk
Michael Roston is a staff editor for social media at The New York Times: “On a daily basis we publish many articles that need an alternative approach to attract readers that might come to us from social media. But there are also a significant number of instances where we shouldn’t try too hard to write… Continue Reading
Most Commodity Prices Expected to Continue Declining in 2015
“This year may well see a rare occurrence for world commodity markets – a decline in all nine key commodity price indices, says the World Bank’s latest Commodity Markets Outlook, released today. While oil prices have seen the most dramatic decline, the third largest since World War II, other commodities have also been gradually weakening… Continue Reading
FCC – Current Structure and Its Role in the Changing Telecommunications Landscape
The Federal Communications Commission: Current Structure and Its Role in the Changing Telecommunications Landscape. Patricia Moloney Figliola, Specialist in Internet and Telecommunications Policy. January 9, 2015. “The Federal Communications Commission (FCC) is an independent federal agency with its five members appointed by the President, subject to confirmation by the Senate. It was established by the… Continue Reading
