Saudi Arabia: Background and U.S. Relations, Christopher M. Blanchard, Specialist in Middle Eastern Affairs. April 29, 2015. “The kingdom of Saudi Arabia, ruled by the Al Saud family since its founding in 1932, wields significant global political and economic influence through its administration of the birthplace of the Islamic faith and by virtue of its… Continue Reading
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Monthly Archives: May 2015
Defense Acquisitions: How and Where DOD Spends Its Contracting Dollar
CRS Report – Defense Acquisitions: How and Where DOD Spends Its Contracting Dollars. Moshe Schwartz, Specialist in Defense Acquisition; Wendy Ginsberg, Analyst in American National Government, John F. Sargent Jr.Specialist in Science and Technology Policy. April 30, 2015. “The Department of Defense (DOD) has long relied on contractors to provide the U.S. military with a… Continue Reading
How Is NOAA Preparing for Future Oil Spills?
NOAA: “Crude oil production from North Dakota’s Bakken region has more than quadrupled [PDF] since 2010, and responders must be prepared for spills involving this lighter oil (note: not all oils are the same). Bakken crude oil is highly flammable and evaporates quickly in the open air. Knowing the chemistry of this oil can help… Continue Reading
March 2015 Trade Gap is $51.4 Billion
News release: “The U.S. monthly international trade deficit increased in March 2015 according to the U.S. Bureau of Economic Analysis and the U.S. Census Bureau. The deficit increased from $35.9 billion in February (revised) to $51.4 billion in March, as imports increased more than exports. The previously published February deficit was $35.4 billion. The goods… Continue Reading
U.S. Climate Change Policy
Directorate-General for Internal Policies (EU) – U.S. Climate Change Policy – April 2015 “This document reviews and updates the previous 2013 report providing an overview of the climate change policy in the United States. Starting with the emissions trend it then make some general remarks about policy making in the U.S. before entering into concrete… Continue Reading
The Dark Side of Disclosure: Evidence of Government Expropriation from Worldwide Firms
Liu, Tingting and Ullah, Barkat and Wei, Zuobao and Xu, Lixin Colin, The Dark Side of Disclosure: Evidence of Government Expropriation from Worldwide Firms (May 4, 2015). World Bank Policy Research Working Paper No. 7254. Available for download at SSRN: http://ssrn.com/abstract=2602586 “This paper studies the effects of voluntary accounting information disclosure through auditing on firm… Continue Reading
Driving While ‘Intexticated’: Texting, Driving, and Punishment
Weaver, Russell L. and Friedland, Steven, Driving While ‘Intexticated’: Texting, Driving, and Punishment (May 4, 2015). 47 Tex. Tech L. Rev. 101 2014-2015; University of Louisville School of Law Legal Studies Research Paper Series No. 2015-09. Available for download at SSRN: http://ssrn.com/abstract=2602301 “In this short article, we argue that texting while driving presents a special… Continue Reading
A New Federal Guide to Infrastructure Planning and Design
“Today, the White House is convening the nation’s leading thinkers on infrastructure planning and design to highlight how projects like new roads and transit lines can be designed to foster economic opportunity and increase resilience to the impacts of climate change. To help communities seeking to expand their pipelines of well-designed projects, the Administration is… Continue Reading
Most Popular Mountain Bike Trails by US State (2015)
“..the 2015 list of the most popular US mountain bike trails state-by-state! Last year we published a similar list, and since that time we’ve received nearly 10,000 new mountain bike trail ratings and reviews. As a result, 20 states have seen their most popular trail change from 2014 to 2015, as shown in blue on the… Continue Reading
EPIC Launches State Policy Project
“EPIC has launched the EPIC State Policy Project to track legislation across the county concerning privacy and civil liberties. The EPIC State Project will identify new developments and model legislation. The Project builds on EPIC’s extensive work on emerging privacy and civil liberties issues in the states. The new State Project will focus on student… Continue Reading
2013 ZIP Code Business Patterns
“ZIP Code Business Patterns provides data on the number of business establishments by employment-size class for detailed industries. Statistics are provided for about 40,000 ZIP codes nationwide and include the total number of establishments, employment and payroll for more than 40,000 five-digit ZIP code areas nationwide. In addition, the number of establishments for nine employment-size… Continue Reading
IRS IG – Billions of Dollars in Potentially Erroneous Education Credits Continue to Be Claimed for Ineligible Students and Institutions
Treasury Inspector General for Tax Administration – Billions of Dollars in Potentially Erroneous Education Credits Continue to Be Claimed for Ineligible Students and Institutions, March 27, 2015. Reference Number: 2015-40-027. “The IRS still does not have effective processes to identify erroneous claims for education credits. Although the IRS has taken steps to address some of… Continue Reading
